Control
by psych21
Summary: COMPLETED! Sequel to “I Love You…I’ll Kill You’. This story is all about the struggle for control. OC/Joker/Harley
1. Chapter 1

Title: Control

Fandom: Post-Dark Knight

Rating: M

Summary: Sequel to "I Love You…I'll Kill You'. This story is all about the struggle for control.

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman!

A/N: This is the sequel to "I Love You...I'll Kill You. I highly recommend reading that story first because you'll be rather lost if you dive into this story without knowing what happened beforehand.

Ok, so the first few chapters are going to be kind of slow moving simply because I have to account for what everyone has been doing for the past two years. But it has to be done to re-establish everything. Enjoy!

* * *

It had almost been two years. According to his internal calendar the official two year anniversary would be sometime next week. He still couldn't believe that he had allowed himself to be contained in this cell for two years. It was very unlike him to allow someone else to control his life and destiny, but now he felt like he had been staying in his cell like a good boy for too long. By the end of this week he was going to take back control of his life again.

He needed to get out of here; he craved the chaos and the thrills associated with causing chaos. Besides, he still needed to have some more fun with Batman. Knowing who the man underneath the mask was would provide him with several options for enjoyment.

He often wondered if Bruce had gotten himself another girlfriend yet because it would be fun to kill her. Maybe he could go after that beloved butler of his again and finish what he had started. Or maybe he would simply try to kill Bruce. He had so many fresh ideas and he couldn't wait to execute them all.

He sighed, lost in reflection about the past two years.

To be honest, he had originally stayed in here because he was tired. Planning Lacy's death and the events leading up to that had exhausted him and he figured this was as good of a place as any to recharge his batteries and think up new schemes for chaos. He really only intended to be here for a few weeks before breaking out.

What he didn't expect was the sadness he ended up feeling over Lacy's death. Commissioner Gordon had delivered the news about his wife's death to him personally, and he knew that Gordon was aware that he had killed Lacy. He could see it in the man's eyes when he looked at him.

At first it pleased him that Lacy was dead. The news left him with a sense of pride that his scheme had worked and almost completely made up for the fact that he hadn't gotten a chance to kill Bruce's beloved butler. But after the buzz wore off, he started to feel something eating at him.

He thought it was just his stomach and that he was hungry, but after eating he found that the ache was still there. It took him a while to realize that he actually missed her.

He tried to deny it, tried to convince himself that the ache he felt was a stomach virus or the flu, but it was no use. After the second week of experiencing it, he realized that he had to face the facts. He really did miss Lacy.

It was a weird feeling for him to actually miss anyone or anything. He wasn't used to it and didn't like it. He hated anything that made him feel common and human—and this made him feel both.

Normally when he felt that way he would go blow something up or kill someone. But given the fact that he was stuck in this cell, that wasn't an option. His inability to do anything destructive to distract himself only drove him mad with rage and disturbed him even further.

He wouldn't call what he went through depression. He certainly didn't feel suicidal over her absence, but he did miss her and usually wished that he hadn't killed her. He wished that the situation had been different and that he hadn't been forced into killing her. But she made him do it.

Since her death he had been having these weird dreams where she comes back from the dead and they go on magnificent crime sprees together. She would tell him that she had changed and was ready to take her rightful place at his side and be his queen. Then they would destroy the city. He loved and hated those dreams at the same time.

He loved the dreams because it was fun to think about what Lacy would have been like if she had chosen to become a criminal like him. She was definitely smart enough. She was the second smartest person he had ever known—the smartest being himself of course. If she could have gotten over her high and mighty morality that she insisted on clinging to, she would have been an unstoppable force and a powerful ally.

But he also hated the dreams because it was stupid and pathetic to still be thinking about her this much. She was gone and he had to accept that. There was no point dwelling on the past of what could have been. He had to focus on the here and now. At least that's what he told himself everyday.

When he finally had come to terms with Lacy's death, he spent a few more weeks coming up with plans to execute once he got out of Arkham. Considering how easy it had been to get out of Arkham before, he didn't anticipate any problems getting out a second time. But when he realized he was ready to break out, he found that it was going to be much more difficult this time—if not impossible.

He was going to need to enlist the help of someone on the other side of his cell in order to escape. Finding someone to help him wasn't easy and took him a long time. But then, about eight months ago, she came into his life.

Dr. Harleen Quinzel, or Harley Quinn as he liked to call her. She was sent to him by the administrators of Arkham to be his psychiatrist and try to figure him out. But what they didn't realize is that he figured her out first. He used her school-girl crush on him to turn her into his puppet.

He heard the swish of the electric sliding door in the hallway and wondered who was coming to see him. He watched impatiently and when he heard the soft clicking of heels on the tile floor, he grinned because he knew exactly who those heels belonged to.

"Hello Harley Quinn." He said politely, walking up to the glass wall.

She checked to make sure that no one else was around. "Hello Mr. J." She giggled.

"Are you here for another therapy session?" He asked.

"No. I'm here to check up on you but I only have a few minutes." She nodded, looking up at the surveillance camera in the corner watching their every move. Luckily they weren't recording the audio or else she would be in a whole lot of trouble. "How do you feel today?"

"I'd feel a lot better if I was already out of here." He answered honestly as he kicked around imaginary dust with his foot.

"I know puddin', but it won't be too much longer. I promise." She assured him. "I have everything all set up for tomorrow night."

"Really?" That made him look back up at her. "Tomorrow night?"

"Yep." She nodded proudly. "I did everything you told me to and it's all set up with your guys."

"Good." He smiled.

"Are you proud of me?" She asked, hoping that he was. She had done it all for him, all so that they could leave here together and she could finally be with the man she loved.

"Huh?" He asked, barely hearing what she had asked. He was too busy plotting what he would do to announce to the city that he was back. He wanted it to be something big that would bring the fear back to people.

"I asked if you were proud of me." She repeated, hoping he would answer this time.

"Oh sure, of course I am." He nodded.

A huge smile broke out on her face and she couldn't contain her giggle. "Now we can be together just like you said!"

"Yeah. It will be great." His enthusiasm didn't match hers, but luckily for him she failed to notice that.

"We can find a nice place to live. I'd say we could live in my apartment but it's not big enough for two people. I've always wanted to live in the rich part of the city but I don't really care where we live as long as we're together…."

"Harley, would you mind doing me a small favor and shutting up?" He asked, giving her a small smile. "I'm trying to plan what my first act as a free man will be."

"Oh." She said quietly. "Sorry. I don't want to interrupt your brainstorming."

"That's ok." He shrugged. He loved the fact that she was totally in his control. She was the complete opposite of Lacy and for that he was grateful. Whereas Lacy was a brunette, Harley was a blonde. Lacy was more in love with who he used to be, and Harley was in love with who he was now. Lacy was the past and Harley was the present—possibly the future too. He hadn't decided what he would do to her once he got out of here. He was tempted to keep her around. She was a nice contrast to Lacy.

"Damn it!" He cursed loudly when he realized that he was thinking about Lacy again. It seemed like no matter what he did she always popped back into his head, making him think about her. It wasn't fair and he wished he could just forget about her. She was dead, case closed.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worried about him.

"Nothing." He shook it off and began to pace around his cell. "It's nothing."

"Ok." She replied, not sure she believed him. Something was bothering him. Maybe she could get him to open up to her more after he escaped from here. She glanced at her watch. "Oh, I have somewhere I need to be soon. I'll see you tomorrow though, ok?"

"Ok." He nodded, not looking up at her as he continued to pace.

"Love you." She told him.

"Yeah, right back at you." He mumbled, rolling his eyes as he did so. Most of the time he didn't mind Harley's company. But there were times when she grated on his nerves and he just wanted to strangle the life out of her.

She was always so cheerful and perky. It was maddening sometimes just how cheerful she could be. But she was also hopelessly devoted to him and willing to do anything he asked of her. It was a new experience for him, having a woman willing to serve him in any way he saw fit. It was a nice change from his past relationship with Lacy.

He remembered the first time he met Harley. It only took a few moments for him to realize that he could turn her into anything he wanted. And while it took a few more months than he initially planned, he eventually broke her down and rebuilt her to be everything that Lacy could never be—everything that he wanted Lacy to be.

He cringed at the fact that he had yet again thought about Lacy. Damn woman. If she wasn't already dead he would kill her for making him think about her so much.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley Quinn

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Glad to see that people are reading this story! Thanks for the reviews and don't worry, there will definitely be Lacy/Joker interaction in this story...although probably not for a few more chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

Lacy entered her apartment after another boring day at work. Ever since she moved to Los Angeles two years ago, every day seemed to be the same as the last. She would get up, go to work, come home and then sit in front of the television, watching for any sign that the Joker had escaped.

The days when she didn't have to work were generally spent doing errands and then coming back to her apartment to reflect on her plans and make sure that every detail was crafted to perfection. Planning for the day that the Joker escaped consumed her free time, and left her no time for a social life, but she didn't mind.

A couple of months after she moved, she had devised a complete plan for how to take care of the Joker once he escaped. It was an elaborate plan, one that she was extremely proud of. Although it would take some time to fully execute she was certain that it would be worth the wait.

It was an ingenious idea and thinking about it always brought a smile to her face. Early on in the planning she realized that just killing him wasn't going to be enough. He had told her on several occasions that part of the fun that he felt from killing and causing chaos was the fact that he added a bit of theatricality to the mix and found a way to mess with people's minds.

God knows he did that to her all the time. He manipulated and twisted her mind until she wasn't able to think straight. So now it was his turn.

She knew that he loved to be in control of everything and could get flustered to the point of almost climbing the walls with anxiety when control was taken away. His answer to not having control was to be violent and cause destruction. Armed with all the knowledge she had about him and his behavioral patterns, she devised a plan that she was certain even he would applaud.

Instead of plotting a way to shoot him or stab him to death, which she had to admit were her initial ideas, she was going to mess with him first. She wasn't just going to kill him. She was going to torture him, but physical torture wouldn't work on him. He'd just laugh it off and ask for more.

No, the kind of torture she had planned wasn't physical. She would show him just who was in control and teach him a thing or two about karma before taking his life.

See she had learned that the funny thing about karma is that its' a bitch and will always find a way to pay you back for whatever you've done—no matter how long it takes. Judging by the millions of sins and crimes he's already committed, karma was going to paying him back for quite a while. Whereas he always prided himself on being an agent of chaos, she decided she was the agent of karma.

And karma was going to kick his ass in every way imaginable.

She sat on the couch and flipped on the television, sorting through the mail addressed to Angela Vandelay. She still wasn't used to her new name, even though she was the one who picked it out. Sometimes at work she would hear someone say Laci and start to respond, but she had to catch herself because they weren't talking to her; they were talking to woman in the office whose name was Laci with an 'i'.

She was now Angela, though she had to admit that sometimes she didn't recognize her new name when people called out to her, nor did she recognize the person staring back at her in the mirror. Her once light brown hair had been dyed to a jet black color and she had grown it out so that it almost came down to her elbows. But it wasn't just the change in her hair that threw her off. It was also the fact that she now had green eyes thanks to contacts lenses she had to put in everyday.

She wished she could go back to her old name and appearance, but understood that everything was for her own protection. If people found out who she really was she wouldn't have a moment's peace—especially since she was legally supposed to be dead.

Most of the mail was either junk or bills, but the last envelope was from a familiar person. She immediately recognized the handwriting and smiled. Throwing the other mail down on the coffee table, she quickly opened up the envelope and pulled out the letter.

_Miss Angela, _

_After almost two years it's still weird for me to call you that. I can only imagine the terrible time you are having with the changes, though from your past letters I can tell that you seem to be adjusting as well as can be expected. _

_Things are relatively quiet here since you-know-who is still locked up. The crime rate has gone down slightly, although the mob is continuing to make a comeback. Vincent Maroni, Salvatore Maroni's oldest son has taken over his father's organization and is causing some trouble. But I'm sure it's nothing that Master Bruce can't take of._

_And speaking of Master Bruce, he is…well he's Bruce. He's still going out every night doing what he does best, but between you and me I'm worried about him. For the past couple of months he has been distracted and I fear it will end up getting him hurt—or worse. He won't tell me what's bothering him but I can tell that there's something just not right with him. I'm trying to help him but there's only so much I can do when I don't know what the problem is. _

_As for me, I am still the same. Though I do sometimes feel the effects of my age. _

_Hope things are going well for you._

_Alfred_

She loved the fact that Alfred had kept in touch with her. He had told her he would when she left Gotham, but honestly she hadn't expected him to actually do it. She just thought he was being nice. She remembered the shock she felt the first time she got a letter from him but she should have known that Alfred wasn't the type of man to go back on his word.

They didn't write to each other often, maybe just one or two letters a month. He was so sweet to keep her informed of everything that was happening back in Gotham and it helped to know that there was someone out there that knew everything about her yet still didn't judge or want her dead.

She re-read the paragraph about Bruce again. Alfred may not know what was bothering his friend but she had a pretty good idea. About three months ago Bruce came to Los Angeles on a routine business trip. She recalled their initial meeting in the hallway.

_Lacy was too engrossed in the file she was reading that when she turned the corner of the hallway she didn't see that there was someone walking towards her and collided with them, making them spill coffee on their suit. "I'm so sorry…" She started to say until she saw who it was. Her mouth dropped open and she just stared at him. _

_He was staring back at her, blinking a few times to make sure it was really her since she looked so different. "It's ok, Miss..." Bruce assured her, giving her a small smile. He looked around and saw that people were watching them so he had to make it look like they had never met in order to not arouse any suspicions. "I don't believe we've met. I'm…" _

_She noticed the people watching them too and realized that she had to play along with his rouse. "Oh I know who you are." She smiled. "You're Mr. Wayne." She held her hand out to him. "It's very nice to meet you. My name is Angela Vandelay." _

"_Nice to meet you Angela." He shook her hand. "Would you excuse me? I need to clean up my shirt." _

"_Oh no, not at all." She said. "In fact, I have one of those stain remover pens in my office if you would like to come with me. The pens work exceptionally well, even with coffee stains." _

"_That would be very nice." He told her, following her into her office and away from the prying eyes of her co-workers. Once inside her office he sighed, glad to be able to stop the charade. "Hello Lacy." _

"_Hello Bruce." She greeted, taking a good look at him. He still looked the same, except maybe a little more handsome. The past two years seemed to be good to him. _

_He laughed, remembering the other times that they had run into each other in hallways. "We have got to stop meeting by running into each other in hallways." _

"_Yeah." She couldn't help but laugh too. "You would think I'd have learned by now to watch where I'm going but I guess I'm just hopeless." _

"_I don't think you're hopeless." He told her. _

_She ignored that comment because she wasn't sure what it, or the look he was giving her, really meant. "So what are you doing here in L.A.?" She asked, leaning up against the edge of her desk and crossing her arms across her chest. _

"_I came to sign some papers for a business deal." He explained. _

"_Couldn't you have just had them faxed to you or something?" She wondered out-loud. "Maybe train some carrier pigeons to transport them to Gotham?"_

"_Yeah, I guess carrier pigeons could have worked." He laughed. "I'll keep that in mind for the future. But you caught me. I also came here because I wanted to see you." _

"_Why?" She asked, starting to get worried. "Is something wrong? Is it him? He's not out, right? I mean, I haven't seen anything on the news about it…" _

"_No." He assured her. "He's still safely locked up. I just came to see you and check on how you are doing." _

"_Oh." She wasn't expecting that. After their last conversation before she left for L.A. two years ago she didn't think he really cared that much about what happened to her. She hadn't heard from him directly this whole time. The only news she got about him was from tabloids and her letters from Alfred. Now all of a sudden he was there to check up on her? She was confused. _

"_So how are you doing?" He asked. _

"_Fine." She lied. "And you? How are you doing?" _

"_Fine." He lied. _

"_Good." She nodded. "Well I guess I should give you the stain remover pen so that it looks like that's why you came in here. It will look suspicious if you leave and it looks like you haven't done anything to that stain." _

"_Oh yes." He suddenly remembered their cover story._

"_Here you go." She said, handing him the pen._

_He didn't mean to, but while reaching for the pen their hands touched briefly. He smiled at her and took the pen, feverishly working getting the stain out. _

"_I am really sorry about making you spill your coffee on yourself." She apologized, wanting to break the silence between them. _

"_It's ok." He shrugged it off. "It was bad coffee anyway." _

_She laughed. "Then I'm glad that I saved you from it." _

"_You want to save me from having to eat dinner alone tonight?" He asked, keeping his gaze on the stain. _

_She didn't know what to think about his invitation. Was he serious? _

"_I'm only in town for the day." He explained. "I leave to go back to Gotham tomorrow morning but I'd really like to have dinner with you tonight if you don't already have plans." _

"_I don't have plans." She told him. _

"_Good." He smiled. "Then I guess I'll pick you up from your apartment at 7?" _

"_No." She shook her head. "How about I just meet you at whatever restaurant you want to eat at?" _

"_Ok." He nodded. "How about Martino's?" _

"_I think I know where that is." She nodded. "At seven, right?" _

"_Right." He answered. "I guess I'll see you there." _

"_Yeah." She replied, watching him walk to the door. "Hey Bruce?" _

_He turned around again to face her. "Yeah?" _

"_It is good to see you again." She said before walking around her desk and sitting down. _

_He didn't say anything to her as he left, just smiled and exited the office. _

Their meeting had been awkward, but not nearly as awkward as their dinner. She was certain that she was the reason for Bruce's recent behavior and she groaned. Why did her life have to always be so complicated?


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading and/or reviewing for this story! This is the last of the "slow" chapters. I'll get back to the core of the story in the next one.

Chapter Three

Bruce entered the penthouse, exhausted after another long night of roaming the streets as Batman. He practically collapsed into a chair in the living room and stared out the window. He was in a reflective mood and decided to think about everything that had happened in the past two years. Some things had changed dramatically, while others stayed the same.

It didn't take him long to find Dr. Crane and deliver him to Commissioner Gordon as promised. Now Crane was in an extremely isolated and secure holding cell at Arkham and only seven people knew he was still alive. Once that was taken care of and since the Joker wasn't able to spearhead crime campaigns, crime in the city started to decline. Yet he still went out every night, looking for any signs of trouble. It was all he really could do, all he really had left now.

But lately the crime rate had started slowly going back up, due to the new management within the mob. Vincent Maroni, the punk son of Salvatore Maroni, had taken over his father's business and was eager to prove that he was a better boss than his father could ever hope to be. His arrogance and cockiness seemed to be rivaled only by his insatiable taste for women. He really didn't like Vincent.

Despite the re-emergence of the mob, things were different in a post-Joker society—they were better. People had finally started to calm down and stop worrying about the Joker being able to escape and life had gotten back to normal. But Bruce knew better than to let his guard down. Every day he waited for the breaking news report saying that he had somehow escaped from Arkham.

To be honest, he was surprised that the Joker hadn't escaped already. Lacy made it seem like he would escape within a month or two of being locked up. Lacy, or Angela as she was now known as, had thankfully been wrong so far about the Joker escaping.

No matter what he tried to do his thoughts always settled on her at least once a day—sometimes more than that. He often wondered how she was doing in L.A., what her life was like and if she was alright. His curiosity was the reason why he traveled to the west coast offices of Wayne Enterprises a couple of months ago—well that and to sign some contracts. But she had quickly seen through that lame excuse.

It was good to see her. While Alfred had kept him informed of some of the things she wrote to him in her letters, he still wanted to make sure that she was ok. He remembered that it seemed to catch her off guard that he was actually interested in checking on her, but he supposed it had to do with the conversation they had right before she left Gotham City.

"_Well I guess that's everything. It's not like I have a lot to take though." Lacy sighed, throwing a duffle bag over her shoulder. Alfred had been wonderful, going to her old apartment and picking up some clothes and mementos for her, as well as the things she would need for her new appearance. _

"_Have a good flight." Bruce told her. _

"_Thanks." She nodded, moving towards the door. But just as she reached it, she turned back around. "And thank you for everything." _

"_You're welcome." He replied. _

"_Do you think…?" She trailed off; as if not sure she wanted to ask that question. _

"_Do I think what?" He asked, curious about what she had wanted to ask. _

"_Nothing." She shook her head. "It's stupid." _

"_No, go on." He encouraged. "What were you going to ask me?" _

_She hesitated before replying, "I wanted to know if you thought there was anything I could do to make up for everything I've done…or not done. Because I have ideas on how to make it up to you and everyone else, but do you think it would make any difference at all? Do you think you could ever forgive me?"_

"_Truthfully, there's nothing that you can do to make up for your years of silence and submission to the Joker. There's no magic action that erases everything. Nothing you do will ever make up for the fact that Rachel and countless other people are dead because you were too busy playing house with the Joker. I'm sorry but that's just the way things are." He hated having to tell her that but it was the way he felt. _

"_And as for me forgiving you, I can't promise anything." He sighed. "I'm still really mad and disappointed with you. I feel betrayed and hurt. Those feelings don't go away easily. I'm not saying that I won't ever be able to forgive you, but I wouldn't count on it happening soon." _

"_I see." She knew that she needed to leave now before she started crying in front of him. That would only make things worse. "Well then I guess the only thing we have left to say to each other is have a good life." Without waiting for him to reply, she left. _

He was an absolute idiot that day. He let himself take his anger out on her and say some things that he wasn't sure he even meant. Yes it did take him a long time to forgive her and the things he said that day were true to a certain extent, but he should have been more sensitive and less cruel. Everything he said that day made him cringe. He could understand why she was hesitant at first when he came to visit her.

He was deep in thought when a drink appeared in his sight.

"I thought you might want your usual, Sir." Alfred said, holding the drink in his hand.

"Thank you Alfred." Bruce nodded, giving a small smile and taking the glass. It had almost become a tradition that Bruce would come home and Alfred would fix him a drink.

"Will you be needing anything else?" He asked.

"No." Bruce shook his head.

"Everything go alright tonight?" Alfred asked, hoping to get Bruce to start talking about whatever it was that was bothering him.

"Yeah." Bruce nodded, taking a sip of the drink Alfred brought him. "Why?"

"No reason." Alfred shrugged. "Just curious I guess."

"There were a few problems in the Narrows but nothing major." Bruce explained.

"Glad to hear it." Alfred smiled. "Now I think if you don't need anything else I'll retire for the night. But I do want to ask you one more thing."

"Sure." Bruce said.

"Are you sure there is nothing bothering you?" All he had to do was take one look at Bruce's face and see that there was something eating away at him.

Bruce knew that Alfred was aware there was something bothering him. He had been thinking about it and decided to tell his friend part of the story. "I guess you've noticed that I have been distracted lately."

"Yes, I have." Alfred nodded. "I'm not blind."

"Well I might as well tell you why." Bruce sighed, getting ready to relive the past. "It all started when I went to L.A…."

_Bruce and Lacy had eaten dinner at Martino's and then decided to come back to his hotel room so that they could talk freely without having to keep up the charade of Lacy being Angela. He let her enter the hotel room first and then followed her into the living room. _

"_You always pick the places with the best views." She commented as she stood by the window. _

"_What can I say?" He chuckled, walking over to her and standing behind her. "I love a good view." _

"_So…" she kept her back to him. "What's the real reason for you coming and seeing me? I haven't heard from you since I left Gotham. So why come here all of a sudden?" _

"_I wanted to see how you were doing." He told her. _

"_You could have just asked Alfred. Or you could have picked up a phone." She pointed out, turning to face him. "Instead you travel across the country and I can't help but wonder why because when I left Gotham I didn't get the impression that we were even still friends." _

"_I know." He nodded. "I'm sorry about that. I never meant to be so harsh that day. I guess I let my emotions get the better of me." _

"_You were just being truthful." She acknowledged. "I can't blame you for that." _

"_It still wasn't fair to you." He told her. _

"_You never answered my question." She reminded him. "Why'd you come here?" _

"_Truthfully?" He asked. "I missed you." _

_She didn't expect that answer and searched his eyes for any sign that he was joking around with her. But she saw that he was being serious. "You…missed me?" _

"_Yeah." He admitted. "We were good friends before and I don't get a lot of good friends, especially ones that I can trust with my secrets. So I guess I feel like I need to hold on to the friends I have." _

"_And I'm you friend?" She asked quietly. _

"_If you want to be." He said. "But look, there's one more reason why I came here. I needed to tell you something." _

"_Ok." She nodded. "Go ahead." _

"_I forgive you." He blurted out without preamble. _

"_You do?" She didn't want to get her hopes up. She had wanted him to forgive her all along but had pretty much given up hope on that happening. _

"_I do." He assured her. "I've been thinking about the way things went down a lot and I came to some conclusions. First of all, none of it was entirely your fault. I mean, sure, you did play a role in everything but you never wanted any of it to happen." _

"_No, I certainly didn't." She chimed in. _

"_And I realized that if I got angry with you for not killing or stopping the Joker when you had a chance, I would have to be just as angry with myself for not killing him when I had the chance." He continued to explain. "It would be hypocritical for me to hold you to a higher standard than the one I hold for myself."_

"_I hadn't thought of that but it makes sense." She added. _

"_I also realized that I care about you and I don't want to lose you." He watched her carefully to judge her reaction. _

"_But you will lose me Bruce." She told him. "I'm living on borrowed time. Once the Joker escapes…" _

"_He's not going to find you." He assured her, thinking that she was just afraid for her life. "Trust me; I'm going to make sure of that."_

"_You don't understand. The Joker will find me." She said. "He'll find me because I'll let him." _

_He was confused and looked at her strangely. "Why would you let him?" Then it made sense to him. "You're still in love with him. That's why you want him to know you're alive. You want to go back to him? How can you do that after everything I've done for you? He tried to kill you! God, how could I be so stupid?" _

"_Bruce!" She tried to get him to stop jumping to the worst possible conclusion, but it was too late. _

"_You've played me for a complete fool again." He accused her. _

"_Bruce, it's not what you think." She tried to get him to understand. "The only reason I'm going to let the Joker know I'm still alive is so that I can kill him." _

_He stopped his thought process and looked at her. "You want to kill him?" _

"_That's what I said." She replied. "I'm going to kill him. I have a plan and everything. I have it all worked out." _

"_Are you crazy?" _

"_Maybe." She admitted. She had often wondered if her sanity had left her the day the Joker tried to kill her. _

"_Well it doesn't matter because I won't let you do this." He told her. "It's too dangerous and you'll get yourself killed!" _

_She shrugged. "Probably, but I'm still going to do it and you can't stop me." _

"So there you have it." Bruce sighed. "She wants to go after the Joker."

"She'll get herself killed." Alfred commented. "What is she thinking?"

"That's just it. She's not thinking…at least not thinking clearly." Bruce added. "That's what has been distracting me. Whenever the Joker decides to escape, I have to take him out immediately so that she doesn't even get a chance think about executing whatever plan she has. I don't want her to expose herself to the Joker again."

Alfred couldn't believe that Lacy actually thought going up against the Joker and letting him know that she was still alive would be a good idea. "I can see now why you are so disturbed, but you must have faith that things will work out in the end."

"Perhaps." Bruce conceded.

Alfred sighed. "Thank you for letting me know about this. I'm afraid her letters never mentioned anything about this."

"She was probably afraid you would try to talk her out of it." Bruce noted.

"And she would have been right." Alfred pointed out. "It's late though and there's nothing we can do about this right now. I'm going to retire for the night. Good night Master Bruce. Try to get to sleep relatively early. You do have that board meeting at 9 a.m. tomorrow."

"Good." Bruce joked. "I can take a nap."

He waited until Alfred was out of sight before chugging the rest of the liquid and putting the empty glass down on the table next to his chair. He knew that Alfred only wanted to help him, but he didn't feel comfortable telling his old friend the whole truth about everything that happened during the night he spent in L.A.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Thanks for all the support with this story! Enjoy!

Chapter Four

The Joker sat in the backseat of the car with Harley, hanging his head out the window to feel the breeze as the car sped through the streets of Gotham. Man, it felt good to be out and feel the wind on his face.

Harley had broken him out about a half hour ago and he was surprised to see that she really had taken care of every detail. That meant she was good at taking direction and following through with plans.

Perhaps he would keep her around after all.

Will, one of the Joker's longest lasting goons, had been the one to pick them up from Arkham and was now driving them around Gotham so that the Joker could see the city he was going to reclaim as his. Not much had changed in the city since he was last free, but he would make sure that everything changed now.

"Take us back to the hideout on Elm St." The Joker commanded after bringing his head back into the car.

"Sure thing boss." Will nodded, making a left turn and trying not to stare through the rear-view mirror. He had never seen his boss have absolutely no makeup on and it was hard to look away. But he knew that if he got caught staring, he would be dead in seconds.

"You have a hideout on Elm St.?" Harley questioned, impressed.

"I have hideouts all over this city." He corrected her. "Because you never know when you'll need to get supplies."

"What kind of supplies?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Well I certainly can't go around town looking like this!" He exclaimed, pointing to his bare face and drab Arkham-issued clothing. "No one would be scared of me like this."

"I like the way you look right now, Mistah J." Harley complimented. She had never seen him in his makeup, except for in pictures, and thought that he looked better without it. "I agree with you about the clothes, but I like seeing your face." She reached up to touch his scars but he grabbed her wrist.

"Don't even think about touching them." He warned.

"Ok." She backed off, breaking the hold he had on her wrist and dropping it to her lap.

"So…," he continued, "where was I? Oh yeah. Supplies. Well I'll also need some explosives, a television, ropes, gasoline and a phone, all of which I can get at any of my hideouts. Well, I'll need to get the gasoline somewhere else. I doubt I have enough there."

"Ah," was her reply. "Are you going out tonight?"

"Yes." He nodded happily as he stuck his head back out the window. "I have a lot of lost time to make up for and there's no time like the present."

"But I thought that we could stay in and maybe have some fun…" She started rubbing his thigh seductively.

He groaned, but not from pleasure. Bringing his head back into the car, he removed her hand from his thigh. "I am going to have some fun tonight, but not that kind of fun. You see, I've been away for far too long. It's time to let everyone know that I'm back and ready for more chaos. And I can't do that if I'm…entertaining you."

"Can't you just stay home tonight and do it all tomorrow?" She asked. "You've been gone for so long already. What's one more day gonna hurt?"

"You just don't get it Harley, do you?" He had to take a deep breath to keep from slapping her, which is what he really wanted to do. "This is something that I have to do. So I am going to go out and do what I do best and you, my dear, are going to stay at the house. This isn't up for discussion or debate and you certainly don't get a vote in the matter. Understand?"

"Completely." She nodded slowly. All she had wanted was what he had promised her. He promised her that when she broke him out of Arkham they would be together in every way that a couple in love could be. She linked her arms across her chest and tried not to show that she was pouting because that would most likely make him angry—and she didn't want that.

"Good." He smiled. "Glad that's taken care of."

"Sir, before you go out tonight, you might want to see this." Alfred told Bruce as he turned on the television.

"What is it?" Bruce noted that Alfred had a weird look on his face. Then he saw what was on the television.

"_Welcome back to GCN, I'm Mike Engel. The breaking news story we are following right now is the escape of the infamous Joker from Arkham Asylum. The Joker has been kept in a high-security cell at Arkham for almost two years now but has somehow managed to escape tonight, killing three guards and seriously injuring five others. There have been reports that a female doctor at Arkham helped him escape but the police aren't confirming that yet."_

"Damn it Alfred!"Bruce exclaimed angrily. "This isn't good."

"I know sir." Alfred replied.

"_The police have already released this statement: Yes, it looks like the Joker has escaped from his cell at Arkham but that does not mean that it is time to panic. We are confident that we can find and capture him quickly so please do not worry. That is our message to you. Our message to the Joker is that we will find you and put you back in Arkham very soon." _

"_So it looks like the police aren't too worried about the Joker's escape. Let's hear from some of you though. First caller is Mary Sue. Mary Sue, what are your thoughts on this?" _

"_I am very concerned about this, Mike." She exclaimed in a high pitched voice. "I mean, look what happened to the city the last time he was free. The police better catch him soon or else everyone in this city's just gonna get fed up and move." _

"_Thank you or your opinion Mary Sue." Mike said, getting ready for the next caller. He found it odd that he didn't have the name of the next caller on his screen but shrugged it off. "Hello? You're on the air with Mike Engel." _

"_Yes, I'm a long time listener, but a first time caller." The Joker's voice boomed. "Although I have sent in many videos that you have graciously played for me." _

_Mike immediately recognized the voice and cringed. He wasn't sure what to do with the Joker on the phone._

"_What's wrong?" The Joker asked. "Have I actually made you be at a loss for words? I think that's a first!!"_

_Mike collected himself and his thoughts. "So what can I do for you?" _

"_I just wanted to call in and say hi." He laughed. "I've been away for far too long but I wanted to tell everyone out there in Gotham that I'm back and ready to resume normal activities. And I really wanted to tell the police that I look forward to watching you try to capture me again, but I wouldn't hold your breath. You see, I'm never going back to Arkham. I'm here to stay!" _

"_Ok." Mike nodded, trying to stay calm. "Anything else you want to say before we go to commercial?" _

"_Yes." The Joker laughed again. "Uh, I'd like to give a shout-out to my very dear friend Batman and let him know that we will be seeing each other real soon." Without another word he hung up. _

"_Well," Mike sighed, "that was obviously the Joker. We're going to go to commercial now and we'll be back in a few minutes." _

Bruce turned off the television. "Well I guess the time has come to take care of him once and for all."

"Do you want me to call Lacy and let her know about this?" Alfred asked. He didn't mind being the one to call her. He just wanted to make sure that someone let her know what was going on. She deserved to know.

He looked at the clock to make sure that it wasn't getting too late in L.A. "No. I'll do it." He left the room to go call her on his cell phone in his bedroom. He picked it up just as it started to ring. Looking at the caller id he saw it was Lacy. "Hello. I was actually just getting ready to call you. How are you doing?"

"Is it really true?" She asked, skipping the pleasantries. "Is he really out of Arkham?"

"How did you know about that?" He asked, curious.

"GCN has a website and I signed up my email address to find out about their breaking news stories." She explained, noticing he never answered her question. "So it's true?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so." He told her. "The Joker has escaped."

"Took him long enough." She said in an annoyed tone.

He scowled at her comment. "Look, I want you to stay where you are. I don't want you getting any delusions of grandeur and coming back here—at least not until I've taken care of the Joker."

"Delusions of grandeur?" She laughed. "Gee Bruce; it's nice to know you think so little of me. Why is it so hard to believe that I could actually beat the Joker at his own game?"

"It's not. I have complete confidence in your abilities." Bruce sighed. "But look, the thing is that I just want you to be safe and the only way that's going to happen is if you stay where you are."

"I appreciate you wanting to keep me safe but it's not your job." She pointed out. "I'm a big girl and I can make my own decisions."

"I know that." He told her. "Please promise me that you will stay where you are? Please? I don't want to have to worry about you any more than I already do. I'm going to take care of the Joker myself and it won't be long until this whole thing is over."

She knew that he would try to take care of the Joker as soon as he possibly could, if for no other reason than to try and dissuade her from enacting her plans. He made a good point though. If he was going after the Joker, the last thing he needed was to be worrying about her safety. "Fine. I promise I'll stay where I'm safe."

"Thank you." He sighed in relief. "That's all I ask."

"Are you going to go after him tonight?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm gonna head out in a few minutes." He told her.

"I don't want to hold you up…"

"No, it's ok." He assured her. "I like talking to you." This was the first time that they had talked since his trip to L.A. Things ended awkwardly between them and he wanted to talk about it.

"I like talking to you too but the last thing I want to do is keep you from your job. Gotham needs you." She told him. She suspected that he wanted to talk about his visit to L.A. and wasn't sure she was ready to talk about it yet.

"Yeah." He agreed begrudgingly. "I guess I should go. I'll check in with you in a few days, ok?"

"Ok." She laughed nervously. "Don't go getting yourself killed or anything."

"You either." He told her before hanging up.

She put her phone down and sighed, staring at her computer. She was still on GCN's website and they had an article on there already about the Joker's escape. The thing that stuck out in her mind was the mention of a female doctor helping him escape.

She knew from experience that he could be extremely manipulative and probably used his tactics to convince the woman to help him escape. But was it also possible that he has already replaced her with someone else?

She laughed at the thought. Truthfully it didn't matter much to her. The addition of another female in the mix would definitely make her have to revise her plans, but if it were true, then it might work out for the best.

She felt bad for lying to Bruce on the phone. Contrary to what she told him, she wasn't going to stay in L.A. There was no way she was going to stay away from Gotham at a time like this. She had too many things to do and a score to settle with her 'dear, loving husband'.

She stared at the picture of the Joker, wishing things hadn't come to this. But she couldn't change what had happened and she knew now that she couldn't change him.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Thanks to everyone reading and/or reviewing this story! Enjoy!

Chapter Five

"Are you leaving?" Harley asked as she watched the Joker gather up a bag full of explosives. She had watched him call into GCN and talk to Mike Engel, thinking that he had never looked as sexy to her as he did then. He was so confident and in control of everything. It astounded her to no end.

"Yes Harlykins, I am." He told her without looking up from his task. "Now you're going to be a good girl and stay here while daddy's at work, right?"

"Of course." She nodded unenthusiastically. Even though she wanted him to stay with her, she had given up trying to convince him. She knew it would do her no good to try.

"Good." He smiled, looking up at her. He walked over to her and placed a slow kiss on her lips. "I'll be back later. This may take awhile."

"I'll wait up!" She called after him as he left. With him gone, she was now alone in the house. Looking around, it became apparent that only guys lived there because no self-respecting woman would let herself live in such filth. Every room had floors covered with trash, and she didn't even want to think about the bathrooms. They were the most disgusting things she had ever seen.

So, with the Joker gone and nothing else to do, she decided to focus her pent-up energy on cleaning.

* * *

"Let's go pick up some more guys from the place on Evergreen Terrace." The Joker told Will as they got into the car.

"How many more are we going to need?" Will asked.

"Four." The Joker replied. "We're gonna split into two teams of three."

"So then we're hitting two targets?" Will surmised.

"Exactly." The Joker smiled.

"What are the targets?" He couldn't help but be curious.

The Joker thought about for a moment, deciding to go ahead and tell Will the plan now. "Wayne Enterprises is the first target and then there's a more…personal target that I will be taking care of. You will be in charge of the Wayne Enterprises job. I want you to blow up their parking garage. Think you can handle it?"

"Absolutely." Will nodded eagerly. He was surprised that the Joker would trust him with spearheading a campaign like this, but was excited for the opportunity to prove his worth.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure how he had lasted this long in the Joker's gang. Most of the Joker's goons didn't last a full month. They were always either captured by the police, killed by the police in a job gone wrong, or killed by the Joker for the fun of it.

"Good." The Joker said as they pulled up to the hideout. "Don't let me down." He got out of the car and headed inside. He saw that a bunch of his guys were hanging out and playing some Xbox360 game. No one had noticed his entrance and that needed to be rectified.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." He cleared his throat and walked in front of the television, noticing that he had their full attention now. "Sorry to interrupt," he motioned to the television, "whatever game it is you're playing but seeing as how I do pay you I feel I have the right."

He saw they were all looking at him wondering how he got out of Arkham and why they didn't know about it. "I need four of you to help me with a job tonight." He pointed to two guys sitting on the couch. "You two, whatever your names are."

"I'm Greg and that's Quentin." One of the guys spoke up.

"Well good for you. You can remember names. Hopefully you'll be able to follow directions as well." The Joker laughed. "You and Quentin over there are going to go with Will." He looked around the room and saw two familiar faces that seemed to be trying to hide. "You two, back there!" He called out to them. "You're coming with me."

"If you've been chosen to participate in tonight's activities, come with me to the kitchen. Everyone else can go back to playing Xbox games. But you might want to turn on the television to GCN in about," he looked at his watch, "two hours or so. There will be some absolutely explosive news by then."

He walked into the kitchen and waited for the other five to arrive. "Ok guys. Here's the plan…"

* * *

Lacy took one last look at her apartment in L.A. as she walked to the door. She had with her one medium-sized suitcase and then a carry-on bag. She wouldn't need much on her trip back to Gotham and anything else she needed, she would be able to get while there.

This place had been her home for the past two years, although sometimes it had felt like a prison. It was a nice enough space, and under different circumstances she probably would have loved the apartment. But yet again she had to remind herself not to dwell on the past.

She got out the confirmation sheet she printed off after buying her one-way ticket to Gotham online. She still had an hour and a half before the plane took off, but she wanted to get there early.

Taking a deep breath, she turned out the lights and left, locking the door for the last time. She knew it would be the last time she would be here and a part of her was sad about that, but she had to do this.

* * *

The car ride to their target was silent. Chip and Dale were in the front seat, while the Joker stayed in the back, whistling loudly as Chip drove. Neither of them wanted to say anything to the Joker, afraid that anything they would say could be turned against them. They weren't sure why the Joker had chosen them to help with tonight's plan of chaos, but weren't going to ask him about it.

The Joker suddenly stopped whistling and looked at Chip and Dale. "You know, I should be furious with you two after what you did two years ago. I mean, leaving me there with Batman wasn't exactly the nicest thing you've ever done. You two were the reason he was able to put me away for so long."

"Look, we're sorry…" Chip started to say before being silenced.

"Sshhh." The Joker told him. "I'm talking right now. So don't interrupt me. Like I said, it wasn't nice. I have to admit that I did think of about a million different ways to get back at you for it. But I have evolved during my time in Arkham." He looked over at Dale. "I've decided to let you live."

"Really?" Chip asked, suspicious of the Joker's kindness and compassion. Those two things were usually never associated with the Joker.

"Really." The Joker assured him. "We're going to wipe the slate clean with no hard feelings. Ok?"

"Sure!" Chip replied with a huge smile on his face. He couldn't believe that he had been so worried. For the past two years, all he and Dale ever talked about was how they hoped the Joker never broke out of Arkham because they had been convinced that he would kill them for their betrayal. But now, it seemed like they were in the clear.

"How about you?" The Joker asked, poking Dale in the shoulder with his index finger.

"Sounds good to me." Dale replied, not fully believing his boss. As much as he wanted to be like Chip and believe that the Joker would let them live without any repercussions, he just couldn't. Something wasn't right with this. He was getting a bad feeling about this whole thing.

"Good." The Joker smirked, sitting back in his seat.

* * *

Bruce stood on the top of a tall building in downtown Gotham, watching and waiting while listening in to the police radio system. So far there hadn't been any sightings of the Joker, but he was sure that something bad would happen tonight. He just had no idea when or where.

* * *

"You sure about this, boss?" Chip asked as they poured gasoline around.

"Yes." The Joker hissed. "My doctor once told me that it was time to move on, and I'm inclined to believe her. I got rid of Lacy, now I need to get rid of everything that reminds me of her—starting with her apartment building."

Dale didn't say anything as they continued to pour gasoline around Lacy's old apartment. When the Joker told them of his plan, he was surprised. The Joker wanted to burn the apartment to ground with all of the tenants still inside. It seemed cruel to him to burn people alive, but it wasn't any worse than what he did to Lacy.

So they had visited all the other apartments in the building, tying up the residents and pouring gasoline all over their apartments. It was the Joker's plan to make this building go up in flames and light up the night sky, and he definitely had enough gasoline to make that happen.

He didn't understand why Chip was so relived. He thought that Chip was smarter than that. God knows he was still bothered by the conversation in the car. There was no way that the Joker was going to let them live, was there? Forgiveness was not in the Joker's vocabulary and nothing was ever simple with him either. So what was his game this time?

"That's the last of the gasoline." Chip proclaimed.

"Good." The Joker smiled. He walked around the place. It was pretty much empty, except for some of Lacy's furniture and things that the landlord hadn't gotten rid of. When he questioned the portly fellow he found out that Lacy's apartment hadn't been rented by anyone since her death. It seemed that no one wanted to live where the infamous Mrs. Joker had lived.

Mrs. Joker. He also found out from the landlord that the citizen's of Gotham had coined that term after her death. He found it humorous since that was part of what he had carved into her before sending her to her death.

As he walked around the place, he found himself being bombarded by memories of times he spent with her here. It was sappy and stupid. He rolled his eyes at his behavior. Harley was right. He needed to purge Lacy from his life once and for all. And what better way to start than to burn down her old apartment. After all, she wouldn't need it anymore.

He picked up a pipe that had fallen off the broken heater, throwing it from one hand to another and starting to whistle. Without warning, he came up behind Chip and bashed him over the head with the pipe.

"Damn!" Dale exclaimed, stepping back a few feet as he watched Chip fall to the floor.

The Joker looked at Dale and exhaled slowly. He started throwing the pipe from one hand to another again. "You shouldn't look so shocked. You know who I am."

"I'm not shocked that you would do it." Dale replied as calmly as he could. "I'm just…"

"I don't care what you are." The Joker replied. He picked up some left over rope and threw it at Dale's feet. "Tie him up. Make sure it's nice and tight. I don't want him getting loose when he wakes up."

Dale didn't want to do it, but knew that the Joker would only kill him on the spot if he didn't. So he picked Chip up and placed him on a nearby chair. Then he took the rope and tied him to the chair. When he was done, he stepped back so that the Joker could inspect the knots.

"Good work." He approved as he gave the ropes a good, solid tug. "Now, listen to me and listen good. Here's what you are going to do. You are going to wait until I am out of the building and then you are going to light a match and set this apartment on fire and I'll do the same to one of the floors below this one—I'm just not going to tell you which one."

"You will not try to untie your friend here," he pointed to Chip. "If you even try to help out your buddy here, I will gut you like a fish."

"And if by some chance you can get out of the building safely and can meet me at the rendezvous point, I will forget the past silliness with Batman and you won't have to look over your shoulder wondering when I'm going to kill you." He promised. "And you know that you can trust me because I am a man of my word."

"But you also said that you were going to let us live." Dale pointed out.

"No, I didn't." He objected. "If you remember correctly, I said 'I've decided to let you live' and I was looking at you at the time I said it. Chip was incorrect in assuming that 'you' means 'both of you'. He really never was that smart—good with electronics, but not smart."

Dale contemplated what the Joker was asking of him. Chip was his best friend—practically a brother, but he really only had two choices here. He could die along with Chip, either in the fire or by the Joker's hand, or he could try to save himself. As close as he was with Chip, he didn't want to die with him. He knew that sounded horrible and hated himself for saying it, but it was just the way he felt.

"So all I have to do is get out of the building alive?" Dale asked, making sure he understood everything and that the Joker wasn't playing games with him. "There's nothing else? I don't have to hop on one foot and say my ABC's or anything?"

The Joker laughed. "I knew I was picking the right one to keep around. No, there's nothing else you have to do. Just get out of the building safely. But that won't be too easy considering the fact that this whole building is doused with gasoline and this apartment is on the sixth floor. I hope you can run faster than the fire spreads."

He really hated the Joker at this moment. Not only was he essentially killing his best friend by burning him alive, he was making his own survival into a sort of game. He looked over at Chip and saw that he was starting to wake up.

Dale took a deep breath. "Ok. When do we start?"

"I'm going to leave right now. I'll call you when I get out of the building." The Joker walked to the door. "Good luck." What Dale didn't know what that he was really going to start fires on all five of the floors below Lacy's old apartment. The way he figured it, Dale only had a slim chance of getting out alive. But that's what would make this so entertaining.

Man it was good to be back.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Thanks to everyone supporting this story! It's good to know that people are enjoying it. Lacy will back in Gotham in the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter Six

Harley sighed as she continued to scrub the kitchen floor. No one could have been more surprised than she to find that there were tons of cleaning supplies in the hall closet. She half-expected to not even be able to find trash cans. But the closet had everything conceivable that she would need to get this place looking spotless.

It pleased her to think about her man coming back tonight and finding his place so clean. Hopefully he would be so happy with her work that he would give her a big reward.

While cleaning she had been thinking about her relationship with Mistah J, specifically how it started. A smile crept to her face as she recalled their first meeting.

_She smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her skirt and checked her hair before passing through the door to his secure wing. Her new patient was supposedly a very dangerous man, dangerous enough to have a wing at Arkham devoted only to him. _

_She couldn't help but be nervous about her new patient. Everyone else thought she herself was crazy when she suggested giving him some therapy. They all said it wouldn't do him any good and that he was beyond help, but she didn't care. Besides, she was curious about him. After moving here about a month ago, she read every article she could get her hands on about him. _

_The Joker. It was such a simple name, but it stood for so much. Everyone seemed to fear even the mere sound of the name. She wondered what he would be like. Someone with that much power and control over people interested her to no end and she would never admit it to anyone, but she had a slight crush on him. _

_But that didn't matter as soon as she stepped into the hallway because she was just going to be his doctor, and nothing else. She approached his cell and saw that he was lying on his cot, staring at the ceiling. "Excuse me." _

_He turned his head to look at her. "Yes?" _

"_I'm Dr. Harleen Quinzel. I'm here because I've been assigned to your case." She smiled. _

_He stared at her intently, whispering her name over and over. _

"_I'd like to talk to you if that's ok." She told him. She pointed to the cameras around them. "The cameras will still be able to see what's going on in here but I made them disable the audio."_

"_Why did ya do that?" He asked, licking his lips._

_She wasn't expecting him to ask her that question. "I thought it might make you more willing to talk to me if other people weren't listening." _

"_What am I supposed to talk to you about what?" He asked, swinging his legs to the side of the cot and sitting up. _

"_Anything you would like to talk about, really." She explained, looking at your chart. "It looks like you've led a very…interesting life so far." _

"_You haven't seen anything yet." He promised her. "Just imagine what I'm going to do once I get out of here." _

_She laughed. "Somehow I don't see that happening any time soon." _

"_You can laugh now, but I won't be in here forever." Normally he would have been offended if someone laughed at his plans, but she seemed different somehow. _

"_So…" She said, trying to get back on a better topic. She looked at his chart again. "It says here that your wife, Lacy, recently died and that the police suspect you in her killing." _

"_I didn't do it." He told her quickly. _

"_If you didn't kill her, then why do the police suspect you?" She asked. _

"_Because they are covering for her real killer." He explained, wondering if he could actually get her to believe the lies he was about to tell her. It had been so long since he had been able to mess with someone else's mind like this and he was going to enjoy every moment of this._

_She decided to humor him, still not completely sure he was telling the truth. "Ok. Who is the real killer?" _

"_The Batman." He replied, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her. _

"_Batman killed your wife?" She found that a little hard to believe. _

"_Yes." He nodded. _

"_Why?" She asked. _

"_Because he wanted to make me suffer and he knew that killing her would do just that." The Joker told her as he put a sad look on his face. "He tied me up to a light pole and made me watch as he put her into that car and pushed it into the water." _

"_Pardon me for saying this, but why should I believe you?" She asked. "You've killed countless other people…"_

"_So who's to say I didn't kill her?" He finished her sentence for her as he got up and walked to the glass that separated them. "I did not kill my wife." He looked directly into her eyes. "I know I've killed a lot of people in my lifetime, and I'm not sorry about that. In fact, I'd do it all again if I had the chance. But I wouldn't have killed Lacy." _

"_Why not?" She asked, staring into his eyes and trying not to become mesmerized by them. "What was so special about her?"_

"_Because when I make a vow to be together forever, I mean it." He answered, knowing that she was falling for every single word he was saying. "Sure she didn't exactly like the profession I'm in and we had our fair share of disagreements, but there was a real love between us." _

"_Then that must have been hard for you, to lose her like that." She sympathized._

"_It was. I really loved her." He said sadly, proud of his performance. He saw the look of surprise on her face. "You seemed shocked by that. Why does everyone in this world think that I am incapable of love?"_

"_Maybe because that's the image you project to everyone?" She pointed out. _

"_Well it's not who I am." He replied. "I'm much more than a just psychopathic killer." _

"_Maybe you are." She whispered. _

She still hated Batman for making her man have to go through that, but at the same time she was grateful. If Batman hadn't killed Lacy, she wouldn't have met her Mr. J.

The Joker watched from the rendezvous point as Lacy's old apartment building lit up the night sky with the flames. It was a magnificent fire and he also wished he had some popcorn for the show. He looked at his watch. It had been almost ten minutes since the fire had started and there was no sign of either Dale or the fire department.

He knew why the fire department was taking so long. Right before he lit the first match in the apartment building he called Will and told him to detonate the explosives in the Wayne Enterprises parking garage. It was safe to assume that all available fire stations would converge on the parking garage to save the property of the city's most important resident.

Bruce Wayne, although he now knew him as Batman, was his next target. He hadn't decided whether or not to just kill him or destroy his life and then kill him. But he was getting a head of himself right now. He reminded himself to be patient. He would deal with Batman later on.

As he stood by the window of the apartment that Chip and Dale had used for their surveillance of Lacy, he thought about Dale. He still hadn't come out of the building. Truthfully, he didn't think that Dale would be able to get out of the building alive. He sighed and was getting ready to leave when the door busted open and Dale appeared.

"You look terrible." He commented, taking in Dale's appearance. His clothes were seared and his skin was covered in ash. "And you smell horrible too."

"Yeah, well that's what happens when you get trapped in a building that's on fire." Dale managed to say between coughs. It took him a while and he was pretty sure he had inhaled an unhealthy amount of smoke, but he made it out alive.

A part of him had thought about running away after getting out. He thought about making the Joker think he had died in the fire and just running off to some tropical island to live out the rest of his days. But he realized that it wouldn't work. He had to face the Joker.

The Joker started to applaud Dale. "You know, I was starting to believe that you couldn't do it but you proved me wrong. I'm impressed and I don't impress easily. Congratulations Dale. Welcome back into my good graces."

"Thanks." He sarcastically replied, trying to catch his breath.

"Come on." The Joker ordered as he walked towards the door. "We're done here."

Dale took one more look at the burning apartment building. His best friend was in there, and although he wanted to find a way to save him, there was nothing he could do about it. He sighed and then followed the Joker out of the room.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Bruce yelled, pacing back and forth. "I feel so helpless."

"I know sir." Alfred comforted him.

"I should have been able to stop at least one of the attacks, but instead I couldn't even stop one of them!" Bruce complained.

"Both are tragedies but you can't blame yourself." Alfred told him.

"How many are dead from the parking garage bomb?"

"Six." Alfred replied. "But there are also two in the hospital in critical condition."

"Ok." Bruce sighed. "I want to pay for the funeral arrangements for the six who have died and then also pay the medical bills for the two in the hospital."

"I'll have the accountants set that up first thing in the morning." Alfred promised.

Bruce looked at the footage on the television of the apartment fire and the parking garage bomb. "I should have stopped this."

"I'm not sure even you could have stopping this, sir." Alfred told him, forcing him up from his chair. "Now go to bed. Get some rest and we'll take of everything in the morning."

"At least we don't have to worry about Lacy." Bruce chuckled.

"Thank God for small blessings." Alfred smiled.

* * *

When the Joker got back to his hideout on Elm St. he almost didn't recognize it. It was…clean. Abnormally clean. It was kind of weird. "Harley!" He yelled.

"Be right there!" Came a reply from the second floor. In just a few seconds she was standing at the top of the stairs with a huge smile on her face. "How did everything go?"

"Good." He nodded.

She flew down the stairs and ran over to give him a hug and a kiss. "I'm glad. What did you do when you were out?"

He peeled her off of him and led her into the living room, which he was surprised to see was also clean. He sat her on the couch and flipped on the television. "Pictures are worth a thousand words."

She watched in awe as she saw the destruction he had caused. "Wow." She said when she saw what he had done to the Wayne Enterprises parking garage. "You completely destroyed it."

"I know." He smiled; proud of the work he had planned. "But you haven't seen anything yet." He noticed that the news was switching its focus to Lacy's apartment building.

"You set that fire?" She asked, looking over at him. "With everyone still inside?"

"Yep." He chuckled. "You should have seen it, Harley, it was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen."

She wasn't sure that she really approved of him killing innocent people by burning them alive, but realized she would have to get used to it in order to be with her man. She snuggled up close to him. "So why did you chose an apartment building and a parking garage?"

"I chose the parking garage because it was a public space." He lied. He hadn't told anyone about the fact that Batman's true identity was Bruce Wayne and certainly didn't plan on telling Harley. "I wanted something that would be sure to get people's attention."

"So then why the apartment building?" She was curious.

"It was Lacy's old apartment building." He answered.

"Oh." She nodded, hoping he wasn't going to talk about her again. As much as she loved him, she hated it when he talked about Lacy. He really needed to move on. She is dead and has been for two years. That's more than enough time to spend mourning someone.

"You told me that I needed to purge her from my life and that's what I'm trying to do, starting with getting rid of her old apartment." He explained.

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. He was making a serious attempt to move on from Lacy. This was great news! "Really?" She asked, hoping it wasn't some kind of joke. "You really want to get her out of your life?"

"Really." He promised her.

"Oh that's great Mistah J!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and started to kiss him.

He soon pulled her away. "Look, Harley, there's something I need to talk to you about. I can't really be with you until I get this whole Lacy thing out of my system. Can you just give me a little more time?"

She didn't want to. She wanted to yell at him and then storm out, but where would she storm out to? She was now his accomplice and the police were surely looking for her. She was trapped so if he needed some more time she would try to be patient and give him what he needed. "I guess I can try."

"That's a good girl." He kissed her forehead. He didn't really need more time. Truthfully he just didn't want to pursue a physical relationship with Harley yet. At least not until he was sure he could trust her and that he was keeping her around for the long haul.

"You didn't say anything about the house. Do you like it? I cleaned it up just for you." She asked for his opinion, desperate for any kind of show of acceptance and approval.

"It looks good." He yawned, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "It looks real good."

She smiled and snuggled up next to him. After a few moments she noticed that he had fallen asleep so she lightly kissed his cheek before closing her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Hope you enjoy and that this story isn't getting too predictable!

Chapter Seven

Alfred came into the living room, finding Bruce still watching GCN. It had been three days since the Joker escaped and neither Bruce nor the police were any closer to finding him. During that time he had blown up Lacy's old apartment building and the parking garage at Wayne Enterprises. His latest crime was robbing the First National Bank of Gotham this morning.

In three days he had managed to kill almost a hundred people and he knew that Bruce was taking it pretty hard. He blamed himself for the Joker's crime spree and not being able to stop him.

Knowing that he was having problems with guilt, he hated to bring up this subject but felt like he needed to. "Master Wayne, I hate to have to tell you this, but I'm afraid Lacy is missing."

Bruce's head turned quickly and he stared at Alfred. "What do you mean she's missing?"

"I called her house earlier to check in with her and she didn't answer. So I called her cell phone and she didn't answer that either. Then I called her office and they said she had left a voicemail on her boss' phone saying that she quit. No one has heard from her since."

"When was the voicemail?" Bruce asked, sighing.

"Two days ago, sir." Alfred replied.

"Damn it." Bruce whispered. "You don't think she's on her way here, do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past her." Alfred shook his head.

"But then why hasn't she contacted us?" Bruce wondered. "What if the Joker found her?"

"I think he would've let us know about that." Alfred pointed out. "He would want you to know exactly what he was doing to her."

Bruce sighed, knowing Alfred was right. The Joker wouldn't waste any time gloating about the fact that he had Lacy. Damn it! This was exactly what he didn't want her to do. Now he was going to have to worry about her.

He should have known that she wouldn't stay in L.A. and should have found a way to make her stay there. She was probably running around this city somewhere and it was only a matter of time before the Joker figured out she was alive—if he hadn't already.

"So what should we do?" Bruce asked.

"About what?" A feminine voice from behind them asked.

They both turned around to see Lacy standing there with her hands on her hips.

Alfred smiled and walked over to her, giving her a hug. "It sure is good to see you."

"Don't encourage her Alfred." Bruce shook his head and took a few steps towards her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

She laughed. "I travel across the country and don't even get a hello?"

"Sorry. Hello." Bruce greeted. "Now what the hell are you doing here?"

"I think you know why I'm here." She told him.

"I thought we agreed that you would stay in L.A. where you would be safe." Bruce reminded her.

"You thought I should stay there, but I disagreed. I just didn't want to tell you that over the phone. I didn't want you to worry." She explained. "Besides, I couldn't let you have all the fun of tracking down the Joker."

"Oh yeah." He rolled his eyes. "It's been lots of fun. You should have stayed in L.A."

"And you should stop treating me like a child!" She countered.

"Well maybe if you'd stop acting like one I wouldn't have to!" He started to yell.

"Oh you're really one to talk Bruce." She pointed out, her voice also rising. "You don't get exactly what you want and then you go moping around for months at a time!"

Alfred watched this scene play out in front of him with great interest. They had both started yelling at each other and he could no longer make out what each of them was saying. It was funny in a way; both of them were acting like little children.

He had suspected that Bruce's distracted nature was the result of something that happened when he visited Lacy in L.A., and although Bruce explained it to him a few days ago, he didn't think that was the whole story. But he didn't pry because it probably was none of his business.

Though now it seemed like the two of them weren't fighting about her coming to L.A. so much as whatever happened between them. He felt it would be best to intervene. "Excuse me!" He said loudly, getting both of their attentions. "Perhaps it would be best for everyone if you two had a nice, quiet discussion about whatever it is that is bothering the both of you. Preferably without the yelling."

"Sorry Alfred." Lacy apologized. "You're right."

"Come on." Bruce motioned to the balcony. "Let's talk out there."

She followed him without saying a word, walking to the railing and leaning up against it. "I have to say that I've missed the Gotham skyline. I forgot how beautiful it could be on a clear night with the buildings and the stars."

"How long have you been back?" He asked softly, standing only a few inches away from her.

"A couple of days" She replied.

"So you left pretty much right after we talked." He surmised.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Why did you come back here? Why couldn't you stay in L.A. like I asked?"

"Because that's not where I belong." She replied, turning her head to look at him.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're going to end up getting yourself killed!" He pointed out. "As soon as he finds out you're alive, he's not going to stop until you're dead."

"I know that." She closed her eyes and nodded. "I'm aware that he won't stop until I'm dead, but I'm not going to stop until he's dead either. Look, I know you don't understand why I have to do this, but I have to go after him."

"You're right. I don't understand why you have to do this." He told her. "Why can't you trust me to take care of him? Why can't you just leave it to me?"

She didn't know how to say this without hurting him, or even if it was possible. "It's not that I don't trust you. Bruce, you and Alfred are the only two people in this world that I can trust. But I have to do this. I have to make him pay for everything he has done."

"Revenge isn't going to make you feel better." He pointed out.

"It's not revenge though." She shook her head. "It's not just about what he's done to me. It's about justice for everyone. He's done so many bad things to so many people. I feel like it's my mission, my destiny to make sure that justice and karma gets doled out to him."

She sighed. "I should have died that night in the water. I didn't want to but I was ready. And then you saved my life and for awhile I wondered why. Now I know that it was part of a grander scheme. Now I know it was because I need to stop him."

* * *

"Boss, we're on the roof. We have a clear view of Bruce Wayne's penthouse." Will spoke into the phone.

"Good." The Joker replied. "Can you see him?"

"Yes." Will answered. "Wayne's on the balcony right now with a woman."

"A woman?" The Joker's interest was piqued. Up until now he hadn't thought that Bruce was dating anyone, but if he had a woman on his balcony at this late of an hour, perhaps he was wrong. "Can you see her face? Do you know who she is?"

"No." Will replied. "Her back is to us. The most we've seen is one side of her face."

"Well this is interesting." He laughed. "Bruce Wayne has a new girlfriend."

"What do you want us to do?" Will asked. "Do you still want us to try and wait for the perfect shot to get his butler?"

"No." The Joker decided to make a last minute change to the plan. He was going to have Will and Dale take out Alfred, but now that there was a girl on the balcony with dear old Brucie the plans were going to change. "I want you to take out the girl."

"Ok. We will." Will assured him.

"Call me when it is done." The Joker then hung up.

"Change of plans." Will told Dale as he put the phone in his pocket. "We're supposed to kill the girl now."

"Ok." Dale replied. He had taken a look through the binoculars and had to admit that the girl looked kind of familiar to him, though he couldn't figure out where he had seen her before.

* * *

"What if that's not why you were saved?" Bruce asked. "What if you were saved so that you could have a second chance at life?"

She turned away from him, lightly tapping at the railing. "Please don't go there again."

"Why not?" He asked her, putting his hand over hers. "Why is it so hard to believe that you could be happy with me?"

"It's not." She whispered. "That's what's so scary. I like the way I feel when I'm around you but it would never work out in the end."

"We could make it work once I get rid of the Joker." Bruce pointed out.

"And then what?" She laughed softly. "Huh? Let's say you suspend your morality for a moment and end up killing the Joker. Then he's out of the way, but that's only half the battle."

"No matter what I do people will always be able to figure out that I am Lacy and they will always associate me with the Joker. I can color my hair and change my eye color all I want but people will still figure it out. The only way people will never recognize me is if I get a ton of plastic surgery on my face. And even then I'll still have these scars."

"I thought I told you that the scars don't matter to me." He interrupted.

"But they matter to me." She replied.

* * *

"I'm going to put together the gun." Will said, handing Dale the binoculars. "You keep an eye on them."

"Ok." Dale nodded, taking the binoculars and watching Bruce Wayne with his mystery guest. He was watching them, but wasn't paying much attention to them. He was still mourning the loss of Chip. He hated having to leave him in that building to die a fiery death but hadn't had much of a choice. He thought back to what happened after the Joker had left.

"_Hey, Dale, untie me!" Chip pleaded. "He's gone, you can untie me now." _

"_No, I'm sorry." Dale apologized. "But I can't."  
_

"_Why not?" Chip asked. "Dale, untie me right now!" _

"_I can't." Dale insisted. "He will kill me if I try to help you." _

"_So you're just gonna let me die here?" Chip asked, astonished. "Man I thought we were friends!" _

"_We are!" Dale insisted. "But I can't…" _

"_No." Chip interrupted. "If we were really friends you would help me out of here instead of being a pussy that is afraid of the Joker." _

"_You would be doing the same thing if you were in my shoes!" Dale reminded him. "So don't go there with me." _

"_Oh fuck you Dale!" Chip yelled. "You're just doing this to save your own skin." _

"_I'm sorry Chip. I really am." Dale apologized. _

"_Forget you man." Chip laughed. "You suck for leaving me here. I hope you know that." _

"_I do." Dale nodded. He heard his phone go off and knew that meant the Joker had gotten out of the building. He didn't have much time to get out of the building alive. "I'm sorry about this. I wish it didn't have to be like this." He took out a match. _

"_No!" Chip objected. "Dale! Please don't." _

"_I'm sorry. I have no other choice." Dale apologized again, lighting the match and throwing it into the kitchen. "Please forgive me." He whispered as he ran out of the room, hearing Chip screaming. _

The screaming would haunt him for the rest of his life and he was certain that he would never be able to get the image of Chip's face out of his head. Chip looked at him with utter hatred and contempt. It made Dale cringe every time he thought about it.

He sighed though and focused his attention back to the balcony. The girl had turned around so he could see her whole face now. She still looked so familiar but he couldn't figure it out. He zoomed in closer and did a double-take.

No. It couldn't be. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. Right?


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: A huge thank you to everyone who is reading and/or reviewing! Enjoy!

Chapter Eight

After a few moments of silence, Bruce sighed. "So what is this plan you have? How do you plan on stopping him?"

"You know that I can't tell you the specifics." She said, turning her head to look at him. "Just know that I will be doing some things that you won't approve of but it's all in the interest of getting to the Joker and making him pay."

"You won't even tell me what your plan is?" He was starting to get frustrated with her now.

"I can't." She shook her head. "Because if you knew, you'd probably want to lock me up in the penthouse and never let me out."

"Too late. I already want to lock you up in the penthouse." Bruce chuckled.

She smiled and couldn't help but laugh. But then she got serious again. "Bruce, I'm sorry about what happened in L.A. I shouldn't have left like that."

"It's ok." He shrugged, trying to pretend it didn't matter to him.

She could see he was lying. "No it's not ok. I handled that situation badly." She thought back to that night.

"_The only reason I'm going to let the Joker know I'm still alive is so that I can kill him." Lacy explained as they stood in Bruce's hotel room._

_He stopped and looked at her. "You want to kill him?" _

"_That's what I said." She replied. "I'm going to kill him. I have a plan and everything. I have it all worked out." _

"_Are you crazy?" _

"_Maybe." She admitted. She had often wondered if her sanity had left her the day the Joker tried to kill her. Most people wouldn't entertain some of the thoughts she had over the past two years. Most people would probably consider her to be just as crazy as the Joker. Perhaps she was. All she knew was that she had a mission and she wasn't going to let anyone or anything prevent her from completing it._

"_Well it doesn't matter because I won't let you do this." He told her. "It's too dangerous and you'll get yourself killed!" _

_She shrugged. "Probably, but I'm still going to do it and you can't stop me." _

"_Lacy, this is wrong and you can't honestly think this is a good idea. It has disaster written all over it." He warned. "Why are you so hell-bent on getting yourself killed? Do you have a death-wish or something?" _

"_Maybe I do." She laughed softly. "But it's not like many people would miss me if I die, seeing as how people in Gotham think I'm dead and are happy about it." _

"_Alfred would miss you terribly." Bruce pointed out. "He's grown quite fond of you." _

"_Well Alfred is great." Lacy smiled. "You're very lucky to have him in your life." _

"_I know." Bruce nodded. "But Alfred's not the only one that would miss you. I would miss you too." _

_She laughed. "Bruce, I know that you said you have forgiven me, but…" _

"_No buts." He closed the space between them and grabbed a hold of her hands. "I really would miss you. Hell, I've already missed you a lot these past months." _

_She looked into his eyes and saw that he was telling the truth, but that's what scared her. "You really shouldn't say things like that and you definitely shouldn't care about me. And I'm not trying to be swimming in self-pity here or anything. I'm just saying that you really shouldn't care because I've lied to you and I've hurt you."_

"_I don't care about that anymore." He told her. "Your crime was that you fell in love with someone who turned out to be a monster and then you were too afraid to do anything about it." _

"_Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked, removing her hands from his grasp and walking away from him. "Don't you know that I'm nothing but trouble?" _

_He couldn't help but smile. "I like a little bit of trouble." _

"_This isn't a joke." She chastised him. "I'm serious."_

"_So am I." He told her as he walked over to her. _

"_Everyone who gets around me ends up hurt or dead." She pointed out. "And I don't think that…"_

_He slowly leaned in and kissed her, effectively silencing her._

_She didn't want to give in to his kiss, but found herself unable to pull away. Actually, she found herself doing the exact opposite of pulling away. She wrapped her arms around his neck and intensified the kiss, allowing his tongue to probe her mouth. _

_After a few minutes of kissing, Bruce let his hands wander. They had been placed on her face but he let them slip a little to her back. _

_Lacy finally pulled away, her eyes closed and her breathing erratic. "Bruce we've had this discussion about kissing before." _

"_I know." He nodded, leaning in for another kiss. _

"_I'm still emotionally unavailable." She told him when she managed to force herself to stop kissing him. "That hasn't changed. If anything it's gotten worse." _

"_I understand." He told her as he started to kiss her neck. _

"_So then why aren't you stopping?" She asked, biting her lip so that she didn't start moaning. It had been a really long time since she felt this way and as much as she didn't want him to stop, she felt like he should. _

"_Do you want me to stop?" He asked, temporarily stopping and looking into her eyes. _

"_I…I don't know anymore." She replied honestly. "You know that I have feelings for you…feelings that aren't platonic. But who are we kidding here? What kind of a relationship could we possibly have?" _

"_I don't know." He admitted. "I just know that I want you in my life." _

"_And I don't think that can happen…at least not the way you're talking about." She told him. "There are so many reasons why we shouldn't do this." _

"_But there's one really good reason to do it." He pointed out. "Because we want to. Look, if you don't want this I will stop right now and we'll pretend like it never happened. I'm not going to pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do." _

"_Really?" She was surprised by that but shouldn't have been. Bruce was a caring man and nothing like the Joker in this department. The Joker would have already had her naked tied down to the bed by now despite her protests. He wouldn't have cared if she didn't want to or had reservations about it. But Bruce was the exact opposite. _

"_Yeah." Bruce nodded. "I know this sounds crazy but I…" _

_She didn't let him finish that sentence before she closed the gap between them and started kissing him. She could tell that it caught him by surprise but he soon recovered, returning her kisses. She knew that this was likely going to be a mistake but couldn't help being selfish. She wanted him and started leading him back to his bedroom._

"_Are you sure about this?" He asked as they stood outside the bedroom door, searching her eyes for the answer. _

"_Yeah." She nodded, pushing him into the room and making sure that the lights were off. It would be easier to hide her scars in the dark. _

"I shouldn't have left the next morning without saying anything to you." She told him.

"At least you left a note." He said, looking on the bright side of it. Although the note wasn't a good one.

"I still feel like I used you." She confessed.

"You didn't." He assured her. "We are both grown ups and we knew what we were doing."

"But I hurt you again." She pointed out. "It wasn't fair to you…"

He wanted to get her to stop talking so he did the one thing that he knew would work. He kissed her. "Will you stop saying that it's not fair to me?" He asked. "I don't care."

"I'm still sorry." She apologized.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." He assured her.

* * *

"When are you going to take the shot?" Dale asked, getting rather impatient with Will. He was taking forever to put the gun together and set it all up. Hopefully he wouldn't take this long taking it apart or else the police would definitely catch them.

"Just another moment." Will replied, still checking his gun to make sure that everything was set up correctly. "I want to get this right."

"Well if we wait much longer they may go back inside." Dale complained. "So hurry up." He still couldn't shake the feeling that the woman on the balcony with Bruce Wayne was Lacy, but Lacy was dead. They pushed her into the river while she was trapped in that car. Batman could have saved her, but it was all over the news that she had died so she couldn't still be alive.

Unless the police faked her death.

He took a deep breath. Either way, it didn't matter because in a few moments Will would take his shot and kill her—whoever she was. If she was Lacy back from the dead, then she would simply die again. And if it was just someone who looked like Lacy, then she would die and the resemblance she bore to Lacy would die too. There would be no reason to tell the Joker about this.

Besides, his eyes could easily be playing tricks on him.

* * *

"So what do we do now?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'm not going to stop trying to get the Joker just because you have a supposed plan." He told her adamantly.

She smiled. "I never expected you to."

He smiled back at her. "So I guess we'll just have to see who can get him first."

"Wanna put a bet on it?" She joked.

"No." He laughed. "It wouldn't be fair since I know I'm going to win."

She laughed. "You're so cocky sometimes."

"Who? Me?" He pretended to play innocent. "You know, as much as I wish you had stayed in L.A., it is good to see you."

"I know." She smirked, giving him a hug. "It is good to see you too."

While he was hugging her he noticed something that alarmed him. There was a small red dot on her back, the kind of small red dot that meant there was a sniper being trained on her. "Get down on the ground! Now!" He yelled, throwing his body in between her and the dot while pushing her to the ground.

"Ow!" She cried out as Bruce fell on top of her. "Bruce, what the hell was that for?" She turned over and saw that he was lying on top of her feet but wasn't moving. "Bruce?" She screamed when she saw a pool of blood. "No, no, no. No! Dammit!" She yelled. "Alfred! Alfred come out here! Hurry!"

* * *

"Dammit!" Will mumbled. "The boss is not going to like this."

"We need to get out of here." Dale told Will as he took the gun from Will and started to disassemble it quickly.

He couldn't believe that Will missed the shot and ended up shooting Bruce Wayne instead. The Joker was going to be pissed, but at least it wasn't his fault.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Thanks to everyone supporting this story! Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

"What's taking Dr. Troy so long?" Lacy asked as she nervously paced outside the door. Alfred had helped her move Bruce back into the penthouse and called Dr. Troy over so that he could take a look at Bruce's gunshot wound. "He's been in there forever!"

"These things take some time." Alfred told her, putting his hands on her shoulders to get her to stop pacing. "You need to calm down."

"I can't." She shook her head. "Not until I know he's alright."

"He will be." Alfred said out-loud, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Lacy or himself.

"God Alfred, there was so much blood." She hated the sight of blood. It always brought up nothing but bad memories from the past.

"Lacy, what happened out there?" Alfred asked.

She took a deep breath before recounting the story. "We were talking. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me. We hugged and then he just pushed me to the ground. Next thing I know he's laying on top of me with a bullet wound in his back."

"Aren't you scared?" She asked quietly after a few moments of silence. She wondered how he could be so calm and collected. Bruce could be in there dying.

"I'm terrified." Alfred admitted. "But Dr. Troy is a very good doctor and Master Wayne is strong. He's so stubborn that sometimes I don't think he will ever die."

She laughed softly in spite of herself and sat down on the floor, leaning up against the wall. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have come back here. I should have just called you and told you that I was back in town. But I shouldn't have stopped by. I put you both in danger and now Bruce is in there with a bullet in him."

"Who says this was your fault?" Alfred asked her, sitting down next to her.

"The shooter had to be one of the Joker's guys, which means that he now knows I'm alive." She reasoned out-loud. "Why else would he be shooting at me?"

"You know that the Joker likes to play games." Alfred pointed out. "Perhaps he wanted to kill you to hurt Master Wayne because he saw you there with him. It doesn't mean that he knows you're alive. In fact, there's a good possibility that he doesn't know you're still alive."

"I guess it's possible." She conceded. "But this whole thing is still my fault. Bruce got shot trying to save me. He's just another in a long line of casualties that I leave in my wake."

Alfred shook his head and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "My dear, you really need to stop feeling so sorry for yourself."

"I'm not trying to." She promised as she started to cry. "It just happens. He has to be ok Alfred, he just has to be."

"Well you'll see. He will be ok." Alfred told her, hoping that he was right.

* * *

"Why am I surrounded by idiots?" The Joker complained as he paced around the room, looking at Dale and then Will. "It's not that hard to shoot the right person. You just point and then shoot."

"He jumped into the line of fire at the last minute. I couldn't stop the bullet." Will explained.

"I don't want to hear excuses!" The Joker yelled. "Shooting Bruce Wayne wasn't what I wanted you to do." He sighed. "Did you at least get a good look at the girl who was with him?"

"I didn't." Will admitted.

"What about you?" The Joker asked Dale when he didn't volunteer his answer.

"I…" He thought about telling his boss about the woman who looked almost exactly like Lacy, but decided against it. He was probably just seeing things. There was no reason to bring it up if he could be wrong. If he was wrong about it, he would probably end up dead. "I could only see half of her face."

"You two are completely useless sometimes!" He complained, trying to calm down and see this from a rational standpoint. "Ok. So let's look at the facts here. We don't know who his mystery woman is and now you've shot Wayne instead of her."

He took a deep breath. "Ok. This may not be as horrible as I thought." If Will killed Bruce, then Batman would no longer be a threat. Of course, that would mean that he would no longer have Batman to antagonize. He'd have to find something else to do to amuse himself. It wouldn't be the end of the world.

And if Bruce wasn't killed by the bullet he would at the very least be out of commission for awhile, which would be good because then the Joker could cause chaos all over the city without having to watch for Batman.

"This could work out to my advantage." He finally said. "You two are dismissed. Get out of my sight."

Dale didn't need to be told twice. He got out of there as fast as he could. He knew it was a long shot, but he still believed that he had seen Lacy on that balcony with Bruce Wayne. But if he dared to tell the Joker that without any proof, he would be dead in a matter of seconds. He had to get proof first before telling the Joker.

But how?

It was times like these that he wished Chip was here with him. Chip would know exactly what to do.

* * *

Alfred looked over at Lacy, whose head was on his shoulder. She had stopped crying and was now just staring at the wall on the other side of the hallway as they waited for Dr. Troy to come out. He looked at his watch and saw that it had been almost four hours since Dr. Troy and the nurse arrived at the penthouse. He mused that it had been a long four hours.

Lacy's head shot up when she heard the door open and saw Dr. Troy come out. She immediately got up and extended her hand to Alfred to help him up. "Well Dr. Troy how is he?"

"He's holding on. I have him stabilized right now." Dr. Troy said. "Look, I'll be completely honest with you. I think he really needs to go to the hospital. The bullet got lodged in the cerebral spinal fluid surrounding his spinal cord. I've done everything I can do to help him but I can't take out the bullet without putting him through an MRI first. I need to know what kind of damage the bullet has done before I do anything else."

"He can't go to a hospital." Alfred pointed out. "That's why we brought you and the nurse here."

"I understand that but he really needs to have an MRI taken. I can't do much more for him without those images of his back." Dr. Troy replied.

"Ok. If you need an MRI machine, we'll get an MRI machine here immediately." Alfred told him. "I'll go do it now."

Lacy watched Alfred hurry off to make some calls and then turned back to the doctor. "Is he going to be paralyzed?"

"I'm afraid I don't know for sure. These kinds of injuries are extremely unpredictable. Right now, the area around the gunshot is swollen so it's a very real possibility that when he wakes up he will be paralyzed. Now whether or not that paralysis is permanent is anyone's guess right now. I would need to see MRI's of his back before I could even think about making that diagnosis." Dr. Troy explained.

"I see." She nodded.

"Like I said, he's stabilized right now but still unconscious. He's lost a lot of blood and I gave him something to knock him out so he won't be awake for a while." Dr. Troy continued.

"Thank you." She managed to give him a very small smile. "First you save my life and now Bruce's. Can I see him?"

"Of course." Dr. Troy nodded, opening the door for her and motioning for the nurse to come out into the hallway so that she could be alone with him.

She walked up to his bed and took his hand in hers. "I'm so sorry Bruce. This is all my fault. I tried to tell you that everyone involved with me ends up hurt. You saved my life again and now you could be paralyzed because of it. Life really isn't fair."

* * *

Harley came into the Joker's office with a smile on her face. "Hey puddin. Whatcha doin?" She asked. He was sitting at his desk looking at papers so she went over to his desk and sat on the side of it.

"Working." He grumbled. "Or at least trying to."

"What are you working on?" She asked.

"Plans to blow up the building where Lacy used to work." He replied.

"Lacy." Harley mumbled. "Of course it has to do with Lacy."

She took a deep breath and put the smile back on her face. "Well we haven't gotten to spend much time together lately. I was wondering if you wanted to…"

"I'm busy right now Harley." He told her, still not looking up from his papers.

"I see." She couldn't help but be disappointed.

"You know this is exactly why I never let Lacy around while I was planning things. She never bothered me while I was planning."

"Of course not." Harley muttered. "The way you describe her she was practically a saint."

"What did you say?" He asked, not sure he heard her correctly.

"Nothing." She sighed, kissing his cheek. "I'm tired of staying in here. I haven't left this house in days. So I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back later."

"Fine." He waved her off.

* * *

Alfred slowly came into the room. "Sorry to interrupt. I've gotten an MRI machine. It should be here in about a half hour."

"That's good." She smiled. "He'll be ok, right?"

"Of course." Alfred said, trying to believe what he was saying. But if Master Wayne ended up paralyzed, he wasn't sure what would happen. Bruce's whole life was wrapped up in the fact that he was Batman. If he couldn't do that anymore he wasn't sure if Bruce would be able to handle it.

"Why don't you go get some rest?" Alfred suggested, looking at Lacy. He could tell that she was exhausted.

"I'm fine." She waved him off.

"I'm not taking no as an answer." He told her. "Go. Get some rest and come back in the morning. I'll call you if there's a change or if he wakes up."

"Promise?" She asked, taking one more look at Bruce.

"I promise." He winked. "Now go."

"Ok." She placed a kiss on Bruce's forehead. "I want you to get some rest too though."

"I will." Alfred assured her. "Be careful."

She didn't want to leave, but maybe it would be better if she did. She was barely holding it together and the last thing Bruce needed to see when he woke up was her crying over him. That wouldn't help things. She felt guilty for leaving Alfred there to deal with everything by himself but he seemed to want it that way.

She realized she wasn't going to be able to sleep so she didn't head back to her hotel. Instead, she started walking. Lacy wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and soon found herself outside of a shady looking bar. She figured she might as well stop for a drink. God knows she needed something to calm her nerves.

She entered the bar and saw that it was practically empty. There was a table of three guys in the back corner and a man and a woman at opposite ends of the bar. The man looked and smelled like he hadn't showered in ten days so she chose to sit closer to the woman.

She looked at the woman and thought she looked familiar but dismissed the thought quickly.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender asked after she sat down.

"A double shot of vodka." Lacy replied.

"Coming right up." He said. "Although you might not want to sit next to her." He pointed to the blonde that was two bar stools to her left. "She's had plenty of alcohol and is very annoying."

Lacy laughed. "Thanks for the tip."

"No problem." The bartender replied.

"I don't think I'm annoying." Harley squealed, looking over at the woman two bar stools away from her. "Do you think I'm annoying?"

"I don't know." Lacy shook her head. "This is the first time I've met you and I don't really know you well enough to say anything about it either way."

"Well I don't think I'm annoying." Harley pouted. "Although I think my boyfriend thinks so." She took another large drink of her beer. "Actually, I don't think it's that I'm annoying so much as I'm not his perfect, precious dead wife."

Lacy wasn't sure she wanted to get involved with this woman's problems. When the bartender placed the shot glass in front of her she immediately downed it in one large gulp.

"You see," Harley continued, "he had this wife named Lacy. And I guess she was perfect or something because all I hear all day long is 'Lacy this' and 'Lacy that'. I swear if she wasn't already dead I would kill her myself!"

Lacy almost choked on her vodka when she heard this woman talk. She turned to look at the other woman and her eyes widened. It occurred to her who this person sitting next to her was. It was Dr. Harleen Quinzel. The doctor at Arkham who helped the Joker escape.

Suddenly she felt like may be it was time to get involved in this woman's problems. "You know, we haven't properly met. My name is Angela Vandelay."

"Harley Quinn." Harley introduced herself, shaking Lacy's hand. "It's nice to meet you."


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

"I'm sorry to hear about your boyfriend." Lacy said, sliding over one bar stool and motioning for the bartender to send another shot of vodka her way.

"Thanks." Harley replied glumly as she stared into her drink. "I don't know what to do. I try and I try and I try to be patient and understanding, but it seems to get me nowhere with him. When he's not working he's sprouting off statements like 'Lacy would never bother me while I was working'. Or 'Lacy never burned my dinner'."

"Sounds like he hasn't quite moved on yet." Lacy observed, trying to keep a straight face. This whole situation was priceless.

"I know!" Harley squealed. "She's been dead for almost two years. It's time for him to move on and I know he wants to. He keeps telling me that he does."

"Have you tried talking to him about how you feel?" Lacy asked, knowing that wasn't an option with the Joker.

Harley laughed. "I don't think that would work with Mistah J."

Lacy was impressed that Harley seemed to already have found that out. "Then you need to fight for his love."

"But it's hard to fight against a dead woman's ghost and that's what I feel like I'm doing." Harley pouted. "How do I compete with someone's memory?"

Lacy sighed, unsure for a moment about what to tell her. "Well maybe you need to do something that his wife never did." She finally suggested.

"Like what?" Harley questioned.

"I don't know." Lacy shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't know much about this. I'm fairly new to Gotham."

"How long have you been in town?" Harley asked.

"Just a few days." Lacy explained, downing the shot of vodka and motioning the bartender for another shot.

"Well it's a good city. I like it and I think you will too."

"I already like what I've seen so far." Lacy replied, keeping up with the small talk but wanting to get back to the main topic. "So maybe you need to figure out what was missing from his relationship to…what was her name again?"

"Lacy." Harley spat out bitterly.

"Oh yeah." Lacy grinned. "Lacy. Figure out what was missing from his relationship to Lacy and then focus on trying to fill that in your relationship with him."

"Ooh!" She squealed happily. "That's a wonderful idea!"

Lacy smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it."

"And I know exactly what was missing from their relationship!" She added.

Oh this should be good, Lacy thought. She couldn't wait for this girl to tell her what was missing from her relationship with the Joker. "Well, what is it?"

"She hated his work!" A huge smile broke out on her face. "So maybe I just need to involve myself with his work and prove to him that I'm not like her."

"Sounds good to me." Lacy smiled. Manipulating this girl was way too easy. She briefly wondered how the Joker could stand it. But it wasn't her place to judge their relationship. Her only goal was to destroy it.

She would have felt bad for Harley, except for the fact that Harley seemed to be totally, desperately in love with the Joker. She would get what she deserved for falling in love with him.

"So what is his work?" Lacy asked, wondering if Harley would be dumb enough to actually tell her.

"Well," Harley grinned and moved in closer to her, "I know you're new in town but have you ever heard of the Joker?"

"Of course." Lacy nodded. "Everyone's heard of the Joker."

"Well that's my Mistah J!" Harley squealed. Normally she wouldn't tell a sole that she was with the Joker, but felt somehow that she could trust Angela. Although she had only been talking to her for a short time, there was something about her that seemed familiar. It was almost like she already somehow knew a lot about her.

Lacy laughed on the inside. "Wow. So you and the Joker?"

"Yeah." Harley smiled. "We're an item."

"Well I guess then if you want to get his attention by joining in on his work, then you'll need to come up with a brilliant plan to cause chaos. Isn't that what he's so famous for causing?" She pretended not to know to keep up the rouse of being new in town.

"Exactly!" Harley exclaimed.

"Well good luck with that." Lacy chuckled.

"Thanks. So why are you getting hammered?" Harley asked, pointing to the line of empty shot glasses in front of her.

"Oh." Lacy looked down at the shot glasses and shook her head. Running into Harley had momentarily distracted her from Bruce and his injury. But now it was brought center-stage to her mind. "No reason."

"It's a guy, isn't it?" Harley guessed.

"Actually it's more like two guys." Lacy explained. "There's the guy from the past and the guy who can never be the future."

"Whoa." Harley laughed. "That's deep."

"Yeah." Lacy nodded.

"Wanna talk about it?" Harley offered. "After all, you did listen to me whine about Mistah J. The least I can do is offer the same to you."

Lacy wasn't sure that sharing with Harley would be a good idea. Sure, she could water down the situation to make it generic and vague, but she thought it might be better to just avoid talking about herself all together.

"No." She shook her head. "It's ok." She looked at her watch and saw the time. "I should be going anyway."

"Wait!" Harley said, grabbing on to her arm. "I don't exactly have a lot of friends here but I feel like we have a lot in common."

Lacy had to stop herself from laughing. It was true. They did have a lot in common—actually more than Harley thought.

"Wanna be friends?" Harley asked, nervously waiting her answer.

"Of course." Lacy smiled. "In this dog eat dog world a girl can use all the friends she can get."

"Wonderful!" Harley squealed excitedly, hugging Lacy. She wrote down a number on her napkin. "Here's my number."

Lacy took the napkin and tore off a piece, writing her own number on it and giving it to Harley. "You'll have to let me know how it works out with your boyfriend."

"Oh I will!" Harley assured her. "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime." Lacy grinned, laying some money on the counter for her tab and a nice tip for the bartender. "I'll see you later."

Lacy waited until she got out of the bar before doubling over in laughter. Finding Harley in this bar tonight was definitely a sign that she was supposed to be here in Gotham. She found out a lot of good information and had made contact with Harley, which had been on her list of things to do ever since she found out that Harley had helped him escape.

She started walking back to her motel and took out her cell phone to call Alfred and see how Bruce was doing. She hadn't heard anything from him, although she had only been gone for an hour or two. She was getting ready to dial when she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

She raised her cell phone up and saw through the reflection of the screen that there was a man behind her. It was too dark to see who it was though. She decided to turn right at the next street to see if the guy was following her or just walking on the same street. When she saw that the guy was still following her, she rolled her eyes. This was the last thing she needed right now.

She turned right at the next street but stayed huddled up against the wall of the building on the corner. When the guy came around the corner she kicked him in the crotch. "Why are you following me?" She yelled.

"Who says I'm following you?" The man grunted, still reeling from the kick to the crotch. "Ow. That really hurt."

"Well there's more where that came from." Lacy told him. "Now answer me. Why are you following me?"

"You look like someone I used to know." The man explained. He had mostly recovered form her attack and had managed to stand up.

She took a good look at the man now that he was standing up. He looked familiar and it only too a few moments for her to recognize him. "Dale?"

"So it is you." Dale laughed. "Son of a bitch. I guess I wasn't seeing things earlier."

Within seconds, she pulled her gun out of her purse and had it aimed at him. She pointed to a nearby alley, knowing that the streets weren't entirely safe. The Joker might have spies everywhere. "Let's go talk in the alley."

Knowing it wasn't a suggestion, Dale walked over to the alley with her.

"Did the Joker send you?" She asked, keeping her gun trained on him.

"No." Dale shook his head. "He still thinks you're six feet under in a little pine box. Man, he would flip out if he knew that you were still alive. It would be fun to see. Too bad I'm not gonna do it."

Her eyes narrowed, unsure if she could believe him when he said he wouldn't tell the Joker. "Why should I believe you? You still work for him, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Dale sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, curious about his answer.

"Nothing." He asked. "You wouldn't understand."

"Where's your friend?" She asked. "You know, the other one. You two seemed inseparable. What's his name?"

"Chip." Dale answered. "His name was Chip."

"Was?" She figured that meant he was dead. It suddenly made sense. "Oh. He killed Chip, didn't he? That's why you're not enthusiastic about working for him anymore."

"He made me kill Chip, made me leave him in the fire we set at your old apartment building." Dale explained. "He made me tie him to a chair and then light the room on fire."

"I'm sorry. That's a terrible thing to go through." She told him, meaning each word. "But it's characteristic Joker behavior. He screws with your head and your emotions. He just loves to make people feel guilty."

"Well it's working." Dale told her.

"Of course it is." She sighed. "He knows exactly what to do to make someone feel the maximum amount of guilt."

She put her gun down, still keeping it in her hand but not trained on him. Her original plan had included both Chip and Dale, but now that Chip was gone, she only had Dale to work with. Well, it could be worse. Now she just had to get Dale to agree to join her in her quest.

She tilted her head to the side. "How would you like to get revenge on him for Chip?"

"Revenge?" Dale laughed. "On the Joker? How the hell does anyone do that?"

"There are ways." She assured him. "It just depends on how far you're willing to go."

"Look, I don't want to die." He told her.

"That's a funny thing to say considering you work for the Joker." She laughed. "He wouldn't think twice about killing you just for fun. Why not do something to teach him a lesson?"

"And what would that lesson be?" Dale laughed. "Look lady, I know you're probably royally pissed off over what he did to you and you have every reason to be. What he did to you was heartless and cold-blooded. And I hate him for what he made me do to Chip, but what can any of us really do? He's the Joker. No one can stop him—not the police, not Batman, and especially not someone like you or me."

"You're right." She chuckled. "I am royally pissed off at him. He's terrorized not only my life but the lives of everyone in this city for far too long. He's killed or injured several people that I care about and has destroyed my life. But wait. Doesn't that story sound familiar to you?"

"Just because he made me kill my best friend doesn't mean I'm going to go rogue and help you with whatever stupid plan you have." He told her. "I may wish him dead but it doesn't mean I'm going to help you make it happen."

"I see." She nodded. "Well I can't be mad at you for thinking my plan is stupid, although you are wrong. You see, I know the Joker better than anyone else on this planet. I know how he thinks and how he reacts. And it's that knowledge that is going to help me in taking him down. Whether or not you want to be a part of it is your choice."

"I choose not." He told her

"Fair enough." She told him, raising the gun back up and pointing it at his head. "But I can't risk you letting him know that I'm still alive. I hope you understand."

He looked at her and could tell that she was serious about killing him. "Wait!" He cried out. "We don't have to be hasty here. What all would I have to do?"

"Well first of all you would have to keep the fact that I'm alive a secret. You can't tell anyone about it." She explained. "And basically all I need from you right now is information."

"Information about what?" Dale asked.

"His hideouts and his plans. I want to know every target he plans on destroying, every person he plans on killing and every criminal act he thinks about doing." She told him.

Dale sighed. He was confused. A part of him really wanted to help Lacy stick it to the Joker. After all, he deserved it. But there was another part of him, the cowardly side, that wasn't sure he could do it. He thought about what Chip would do.

Chip would agree to help Lacy without reservation. He was courageous enough to do something like this. So maybe he should be too. "Ok. I'm in."

"Excellent." She smiled, lowering her gun. She was now glad that her parents had taught her to play poker at an early age and made her perfect her poker face. Truthfully she had no intention of killing Dale. But the look on her face had convinced him otherwise, leading to his agreeing with her plan.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Jokerfan: To answer your question, more of Lacy's views on Harley will come out in the next couple of chapters.

Thanks to everyone reading and/or reviewing! Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

Alfred entered Bruce's room with a tray of coffee for Lacy. Upon entering, he saw that her head was lying on the side of Bruce's bed and she was asleep. Given the fact that it was almost two in the afternoon, he figured he should wake her up.

He gently shook her shoulder, effectively waking her up.

"Hey." She greeted after slowly opening her eyes.

"Hello." Alfred greeted back. "I hope you aren't turning nocturnal like Master Wayne."

She couldn't help but smile at his joke. "No, let's hope not."

"I brought you in some coffee." He offered her a cup.

She took it eagerly. "Thank you."

"There's still no change?" Alfred asked, looking over at Bruce.

"There wasn't the last time the nurse came in." Lacy replied.

"Would you like anything to eat? I'll make you whatever you want." He offered.

"Oh, no. I'm fine." She refused. "I'm not really that hungry."

"I'll go make you a sandwich." He told her, turning around. "You need to eat."

She knew better than to argue so she let him go. She gripped her coffee mug tightly as she walked over to the window. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

She thought back to last night. Her plans were coming together nicely. Running into Harley and Dale was extremely lucky. She thought she was going to have to seek them out, but running into them accidentally seemed to work out better.

Harley was…well she was going to be easy to manipulate. She seemed to be crazy about the Joker and desperate to gain his approval. Getting Harley to do what she wanted wouldn't be that hard.

Dale was a different story. Originally, her plans included getting both Chip and Dale on her side. But since Chip was now dead, she would have to alter her plans slightly. The fact that Dale harbors resentment and anger towards the Joker for Chip's death would work in her favor, but she would have to be careful to make sure that Dale didn't double-cross her.

She didn't like the person she was having to become to stop the Joker, but didn't see any way around it. She hated having to manipulate people and mess with their heads to get them to do what she wanted. It made her feel like she was no better than him. But she had to keep reminding herself that this was all for the greater good and the end result would justify the means.

Bruce slowly opened his eyes, quickly becoming acutely aware of his surroundings. He was in a hospital bed, but wasn't at the hospital. He was in the guest room. For a second he wondered why until he remembered the shooting. He remembered getting shot because he had dived in the pathway of a bullet meant for Lacy.

He wondered how she was doing, relieved when he saw her standing by the window. She had her back to him as she looked out the window. He could see the sun shining into the room and wondered how long he had been out.

He wondered whether he should make his presence known, finally deciding to say something. "Good morning, or is it afternoon?"

She turned around, startled by his voice. But she smiled and walked over to his bed. "Hey. It's actually afternoon."

"I've been out that long?" He asked with a grin.

"Yeah." She nodded. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." He replied. "What pain medication am I on though? Because I don't feel any pain."

She stopped smiling, realizing that if he didn't feel anything, it was most likely because he was paralyzed and that was her worst fear.

"Lacy, what's wrong?" He questioned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Bruce, there's no easy way to say this…" She started, wishing that Alfred was here to help explain everything.

He tried to shift around in the bed but found that he couldn't move his legs. "I can't move my legs." He tried not to appear panicked but felt the fear rise up in him. He tried again but had no luck. "Why can't I move? Am I paralyzed?"

She couldn't tell him yes so she just slowly nodded her head. "But it might not be permanent."

"Might not?" He asked quietly.

"It's too soon to tell." She explained, eternally grateful that Alfred chose that moment to come into the room.

"Master Wayne, it's good to see you are awake." Alfred smiled at him.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on with me?" Bruce demanded.

Alfred took a deep breath before explaining everything.

"_So what can you do for him?" Alfred asked Dr. Troy after running Bruce through the MRI machine. _

"_Well it looks like I was right about the bullet being lodged in the cerebral spinal fluid." Dr. Troy sighed. "It's stuck in there but it looks like it has nicked a part of his spinal cord." _

"_Is that bad?" Lacy asked. After her encounters with Dale and Harley she came back to see how Bruce was doing. _

"_Well it could be, depending on how badly it nicked the spinal cord and what we do about it." Dr. Troy replied. "There are really only two options we have. We could leave the bullet where it is. We would then have to wait for Mr. Wayne to wake up and see if he is paralyzed. If he is, then we would have to wait even longer to tell if the cause of his paralysis is because of the swelling or because of the damage the bullet caused."_

"_That is the conservative way to go and I usually side with the conservative treatments, but with a spinal injury, time is important. There is only a certain window of time you have to do any kind of treatment before permanent damage is done." _

"_Then what's the other option?" Alfred asked. _

"_We can do a surgery to take out the bullet and hope for the best." Dr. Troy replied. _

"_Well that doesn't seem like much of a choice." Lacy stated. "Why not just do the surgery and get the bullet out now—especially if time is a factor?" _

"_Because the surgery is a very risky one. Really any back surgery is. But there is a very good chance that the surgery could paralyze Mr. Wayne forever in an irreversible manner."_

"_I see." Alfred nodded, taking it all in and trying to decide what to do. "So what would you recommend?" _

"_Honestly, I would try to do the surgery. I think even though it poses a very credible risk of permanent paralysis it is the best way to go in this situation. If we can get the bullet out of his back, then once the wound heals he has a much better chance of getting feeling and mobility back." Dr. Troy explained. "But it's really up to you. You're the one that has to make this choice because we can't wait for Mr. Wayne to wake up. This has to be done immediately." _

_After a few moments, Alfred turned to Lacy. "I think we should do the surgery. What do you think?" _

_She thought about it for a moment. "It's your choice but I think you might be right. It seems like Bruce's best chance for a full recovery." _

_Alfred nodded and then turned back to Dr. Troy. "Alright. Do the surgery."_

"_Ok." Dr. Troy agreed. "I will have to bring in another doctor because I'm not comfortable doing a surgery like this alone. I want to bring in my friend, Dr. McNamara. He's a very skilled surgeon and I trust him explicitly. Is that ok?" _

"_Yes." Alfred told him. "Just make sure he understands how important it is that no one knows about this." _

"_He's discreet." Dr. Troy promised. "You won't have to worry about him." _

"Drs. McNamara and Troy did the surgery last night." Alfred explained.

"I see." Bruce said, staring at the wall in front of him.

"So the paralysis will hopefully only be temporary and will go away once you're healed." Alfred optimistically told him.

When Bruce didn't say anything for a few minutes, Lacy and Alfred exchanged worried glances. "Bruce, are you alright?"

"I just want to be alone for awhile." He finally replied.

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Lacy started to say.

"I said I just want to be alone for awhile." Bruce repeated, his voice rising in volume.

"As you wish." Alfred said, motioning for Lacy to come with him.

"I'll be back later." Lacy told Bruce as she left.

When they got into hallway, Lacy shakes her head. "He's not taking this very well."

"Well it is a lot to take in all at once." Alfred reasoned. "I just fear what will happen if this is not temporary."

"I fear that too." Lacy nodded.

* * *

Harley sat on the bed with a pad of paper and a pen, trying to come up with a plan to cause some chaos. Angela had suggested that she do something that Lacy never did, and she was certain that Lacy never took an active interest in the Joker's work. So she would have to do something to draw the Joker's attention.

The only problem was that she didn't know how to do that. The only real crime she had ever committed was breaking him out of Arkham, but she didn't plan that. She simply followed his directions. Coming up with her own plan was much harder than she imagined.

After staring at her notepad for an hour straight with nothing to show for it, she wondered if Angela would be able to help her. She got out her phone and the napkin with Angela's phone number on it. Then she quickly dialed the number before she lost her nerve.

"Hello?" Lacy answered. She was still in the hallway with Alfred and didn't want to say Harley's name because she didn't want to tip Alfred off to what she was doing.

"Angela? Hey it's Harley." She greeted.

"Oh hey." Lacy greeted, trying to sound enthusiastic. "What's going on?"

"Well I was wondering if you would be able to meet me tonight at the bar. I have been trying all day to come up with some plans and I just can't seem to come up with anything good. I was hoping to maybe bounce some ideas off of you if you don't mind."

"I don't mind." Lacy assured her. "I'd be happy to help you out. I'm sure that together we can come up with something that could work."

"Oh thank you!" Harley squealed. "You're the best friend a girl could ever have."

Lacy laughed softly. "Well I do try."

"Ok. So I'll meet you at the bar at around eight?" Harley suggested.

"Sounds good." Lacy replied. "See you later." She hung up her phone and looked at Alfred, who was giving her a curious look. "What?"

"Nothing." Alfred shook his head. "I'm just wondering who that was."

"It was a friend." She told him.

"I hope for your sake it wasn't a friend that is helping you with this foolish plan of killing the Joker." Alfred told her.

"It's not a foolish plan." She corrected him. "It's actually quite brilliant if I do say so myself."

"It's a plan that could easily get you killed." He pointed out.

She gave him a smile. "Alfred, you're a dear friend and I appreciate it that you feel like you need to try and talk me out of this, but there's nothing you can say that will get me to stop this 'foolish' plan as you call it."

"At least tell me what you are planning." He asked.

"I'm sorry but I can't." She shook her head. "Just know that there are some things I am going to do that are going to seem uncharacteristic and might be slightly illegal. But I'm doing this for the right reasons and my goal is to bring some peace to Gotham, and hopefully Bruce as well."

She looked at her watch. "But I have to go. There are some things I need to take care of. I'll be back later to check on Bruce."

Alfred just watched her leave and sighed.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Thanks to everyone reading/reviewing this story! Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve

Vincent Maroni entered his private office that evening, not bothering to turn on the lights. Sometimes he just preferred being in the dark. It gave him time to think and really focus. He walked over to his mini-bar, suddenly becoming aware that there was someone else in the room with him.

"Would you like something to drink, whoever you are?" He asked the darkness.

"No thanks." Answered the feminine voice.

"Very well then. Hope you don't mind if I have something." He poured himself a scotch and walked over to the light switch. When the light flooded the room he saw a woman sitting provocatively on his desk. She had on knee high boots and a short skirt. A low-cut red tank top showed through the opening of her jacket.

"Well, well, well." He said, drinking in the image of this mystery woman. "How did you manage to get in here? This is my private office and is heavily guarded."

"It was very easy, Mr. Maroni. All I really had to do was bat my eyelashes a few times and show some skin." Lacy replied. "You might want to have a talk with your guards. They'll let just about anyone in here."

"Yes, I think I will have a talk with them. They are all fired." He chuckled. "Obviously you know who I am but I have no clue who you are. Care to remedy that?"

She hopped off the desk. "I'm just a girl with a business proposition for you."

He smiled, thinking that she meant she was here for sex. "Look, you're very attractive and normally I would be all over you without a second thought. But tonight's not a good night for me. Why don't you come back some other time?"

She laughed, almost insulted by his insinuation. "I think you misunderstood me. I didn't come here to try and sleep with you. I have no interest in ever doing that. I have a very legitimate business proposition for you."

It was his turn to laugh now. "What kind of business proposition could someone like you have for someone like me?"

"The kind you won't be able to say no to." She answered coolly.

"Ok." He smiled. "You have me intrigued. What is this business proposition you have for me?"

"Well you must have heard by now about the Joker's escape from Arkham." She started.

"Yes." Vincent nodded. "I would have to be living under a rock to not know that. Damn clown, he's ruining this city for criminals like me."

"Well what would you say if I had a way to get rid of him for good?" She asked.

He decided to humor her. "And just how would you do that?"

"I'd kill him." She explained.

He laughed. "Sorry hun, but I don't think a girl like you can take out someone like the Joker."

"Maybe that's because you don't know who I am." Lacy observed.

"Ok." He grinned. "Enlighten me. Just who are you?"

She didn't say anything, just held up a newspaper. On the newspaper was her face, along with a headline which read 'Joker's wife found stabbed and dead in river'. She held the picture up close to her face. "Notice any resemblance?"

He looked closely at the picture and then at her. His eyes narrowed as he tried to convince himself that he wasn't seeing what he thought he saw. "But….she's…well you're supposed to be dead."

"Yet, as you can see, I'm not." She put the newspaper down and walked towards him, stopping just a few feet from him. "My death was faked to 'protect' me. And I've been going under an assumed name for the past two years, just waiting and biding my time until he escaped."

"So what?" He asked. "You want revenge for what he did to you?"

"Something like that." She nodded slowly.

"Damn." He sighed, walking a circle around her. "The Joker's wife in my office. Never thought that would happen."

"Yeah, well I never thought I'd be here either, but here we are." She pointed out.

"Hey, is it true? The rumors about what he did to you?" He couldn't help but be curious. There were many stories floating around about things the Joker did to his wife before killing her.

"What have you heard?" Lacy asked, wondering what people had been saying about her.

"The most common rumor is that he carved words into your stomach." Vincent explained.

She lifted her shirt up a few inches to reveal the scars. "That one is unfortunately true."

Vincent grimaced at the sight of the scars. "Now I know for sure that guy is crazy. Cutting up a pretty thing like you is absolutely insane. If you had been my wife, the last thing I would have done is carve you up like a turkey. I'd do a lot of things to you, but cut you isn't one of them."

She pulled down her shirt, ignoring his comments and getting back to the real reason she was here. "I need your help in order to kill him."

"No offense sweetie, but I don't think you have what it takes to effectively go after someone like him. I know you must want revenge and all, but you have to be realistic here. You're just a woman and he's a psychotic clown." Vincent pointed out. "He'll win every time."

"You know," she sighed, "I'm getting rather tired of hearing from people that I can't or shouldn't do this. I know that to you I may be 'just a woman' but I'm really so much more than that. I've seen the Joker work up close and I know him better than anyone else on this planet. I know how he thinks and reacts. And it is that knowledge which will ensure my victory."

Vincent continued to drink his scotch and watch her carefully.

"So you have a choice." Lacy continued. "You can either help me with my goal or you can stand by and do nothing. But if you stand by and do nothing, I won't be able to fully execute my plan and you'll have to deal with the Joker indefinitely—whereas if you help, I can get rid of the Joker by Thanksgiving."

"It's October 25th. You think you can get rid of the Joker in a month?" Vincent asked.

"Absolutely." She smiled.

"Hypothetically, what would you need from me?" He asked. He still wasn't convinced that he should help her, but the prospect of getting rid of the Joker forever in as little as a month was certainly enticing.

"Half a million dollars, the names of some of your weapons contacts and some men to help with the execution of my plan." She replied confidently. She could see that she was starting to convince him to help her and knew it was just a matter of time before he agreed.

"Why so much money?" Vincent complained. "Half a million is a lot."

"True." She nodded. "But it's all going to go towards materials. I'm not keeping any of it for myself. I can even bring you receipts if you're that worried."

He laughed. "Most of the people we do business with try to avoid paper trails. Good luck getting a receipt."

She smiled. "Look, I'll be honest with you. At first I wasn't sure if this plan would work. But I've spent two years fine tuning it and I believe that I can do this. All I need is a little help. Won't you please help me?"

"What do I get out of this arrangement?" He asked. "And why should I get in the middle of this…domestic problem between the two of you?"

"You would get the satisfaction of knowing that the Joker is dead." She answered. "And he would stop being a threat to you and your organization."

"Not that it isn't a great prospect, but I'm a businessman." He explained. "And every businessman has to look at the payoff for an investment. If I'm investing that much in you, I deserve to get a huge payoff."

"What do you want?" She asked nervously.

"You." Vincent replied with a grin. "I want one full night with you."

She wasn't too surprised by his response. She knew his reputation for screwing every female within a ten mile radius. He knew that he wouldn't get her in bed willingly, so this was really his only recourse. She thought carefully before replying, "Ok, but you can only collect on it after the job is completely finished."

"I guess I can wait for that." He agreed. "After all, you did say it would take less than a month. But there's one more thing. I have to know what your whole plan is before I commit myself to it."

"Fair enough." She replied, confident that he wouldn't go double-crossing her. It wouldn't make any sense for him to go to the Joker and tell him she was still alive. "Here's my plan…"

* * *

The Joker sat in his office, staring at one of the few pictures of Lacy he had left. Most of them had been seized by the police shortly after his arrest but he still had a couple of them left. He still couldn't seem to get Lacy out of his mind and it was driving him crazy, but was determined to forget about her.

After all, he had Harley now.

Harley. After thinking about it, he had begun to realize that he hadn't been treating her fairly ever since the escape from Arkham. He had been so enraptured by the thought of erasing everything Lacy-related from the city that he had been neglecting her. Normally that wouldn't bother him, but for some reason it made him feel guilty.

He knew that she was growing frustrated with the fact that he was spending his time plotting things related to Lacy. He could see that she wasn't too happy that he wouldn't put out until he moved on from his wife. But she was sticking by him anyway, which was a good sign.

He liked Harley, even though there were times where she is the most annoying creature on the planet. To him she represents a challenge, a do-over. With her he can get a second chance to do something that he was never able to do with Lacy. He can mold her to be whatever he wants her to be.

Although she was an intelligent woman, she seemed to be blinded by her intense love for him. He wasn't a fool. He saw how hopelessly devoted to him she seemed to be. He knew that if he said the right words in the right way, she would do anything in the world for him.

Maybe it was about time to test that theory.

Changing Harley from a psychiatrist in the professional world into a criminal like him would be one of, if not the, greatest achievements of his life. She would be his new pet-project and he would mold her like clay.

Crane's method of changing a person's personality may not have worked in real life, but it turned out that he didn't need it after all. He had Harley now and he would make it so that she did everything that Lacy would never do.

Lacy would have never joined him in his life of crime. She had too many morals and rules to live by.

He looked up when he heard a noise, smiling when he saw that it was just Harley. She was standing in the doorway of his office.

"Hiya Mistah J." She smiled nervously, walking over to his desk and sitting on the end of it. "Whatcha doin?"

"Planning." He told her. "I'm going to blow up the building where Lacy worked tomorrow night and I'm just going over the final plans."

"That sounds exciting." She said, wishing he wasn't focusing his attention on Lacy and the past. He should be focusing his attention on her and the future—their future.

"It is." He grinned.

She got up to leave and get ready to go meet Angela at the bar. "I'm going to go out for awhile but I'll be back later."

"Have fun." He told her as he watched her walk away.

* * *

"So, what do you think of my plan?" Lacy asked after she explained it to Vincent.

He sighed. "I hate to say it but it might just work."

She smiled and held her hand out. "Then do we have a deal?"

He took her hand and shook it. "We have a deal."


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Thanks to everyone for the support! Enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen

Lacy entered the bar a few minutes before eight. Looking around, she saw Harley sitting at a table in the corner. She was enthusiastically waving her over. "Hi." Lacy greeted, sitting down.

"Hey." Harley greeted with a huge grin. "Thanks for meeting with me on such short notice."

"No problem." Lacy assured her.

"I didn't know what to get you to drink so I didn't get you anything." Harley told her, motioning to her own beer.

"Oh, that's ok. I'm fine for now." Lacy answered. "You said earlier that you've been trying to come up with something to do to get his attention?"

"Yes." Harley nodded, bringing out her notepad. "I have all these ideas but they all seem dumb and not anything that would grab his attention in a good way."

"Do you mind if I take a look?" She asked, motioning to Harley's notepad.

"No. Go ahead." Harley shook her head and passed it over to her. "Maybe you can come up with something better or see something that I've missed."

Lacy took a few minutes to go over Harley's ideas. She was right; none of these would impress the Joker and most would probably anger him. But that's kind of what Lacy wanted Harley to do. "These ideas are ok, but I agree with you. They won't get you the kind of attention you want from him. These are just petty crimes. You need to be creative and use your assets. What do you consider to be your greatest assets?"

"Up until now it's been my looks." Harley laughed.

Lacy smiled politely. That wouldn't help much in this situation. "Well what else?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "I've never really thought about it before."

"Ok." Lacy sighed. "Well then let's approach it from this angle. What are you willing to do?"

She laughed. "What do you mean?"

"What are you willing to do?" Lacy repeated. "Do you want to steal something? Attack someone? Kill? Blow something up? Arson? What kind of crime do you want to commit?"

It was Harley's turn to sigh now, as she thought about Angela's question. "I don't think I want to kill anyone. I can't do that." She finally said. "And J's been doing a lot of explosions lately. He even has one planned for tomorrow night, so I don't really want to be doing anything that he could construe as undercutting him."

"Well then that doesn't leave a lot left." Lacy explained, very intrigued to hear that the Joker was planning an explosion for tomorrow. She made a mental note to find out more information about it from Dale. "You'll want something that is creative and makes a big splash on the newspapers. Stealing from a liquor store isn't going to do that."

"Yeah, Mistah J would love it if my crime made the front pages of the newspaper." Harley agreed. "How do you know so much about crime anyway?" She was starting to become curious about her new friend.

Lacy had been expecting this question and had come up with a cover story. Actually, it wasn't so much a cover story as much as bending the truth slightly. "I was once married to a criminal. He was in the mob and he was a real bastard. He did things to people that I could never even imagine doing."

"Like my Mistah J!" Harley squealed.

"Exactly." Lacy laughed softly. She couldn't help but laugh at the fact that she was talking about the Joker and Harley still had no clue.

"Except he doesn't like the mob." Harley added. "So what happened with your husband?"

"I killed him." Lacy said matter of factly. She had decided to lie about this part of the story because it was the best way to shield any suspicion Harley might get about her.

"Wow." Harley was surprised by Angela's admission.

"So Harley, I guess to answer your question, I know about crime because I've been around it for long. After being exposed to it for awhile it starts to stain your soul and you change. I had morals and I swore to myself I would never kill. But things change when you are with someone who gets their kicks causing chaos and destruction."

She continued. "Now I don't know your Mistah J like you do. I can only surmise from what I've read about him and heard from you that he's like my dear late husband—loves to watch people bleed and suffer. So my advice to you is this. If you aren't willing to get your hands dirty, then I don't think you can handle being with him."

Lacy shook her head. "From what it sounds, his wife was completely unwilling to be anything like him. If you want to be with him, you're going to have to take a look at what personal rules you're willing to break."

Harley thought about Angela's advice for a few minutes. "So are you saying that I should break my rule about not killing people?"

"I'm saying you have to do what you feel is best for you and your relationship with him. If you don't want to kill and have no rules in life to live by, like he does, then maybe he isn't the right guy for you. Because he could always dump you and find someone who is willing to break their rules." She pointed out.

Harley scoffed. "Are you trying to use peer pressure on me? Because it won't work."

"No." Lacy shook her head. "I'm not trying to manipulate you in any way. I'm just telling you the truth from my very limited point of view. What you choose to do with my advice is completely up to you."

Harley was quiet for a few more minutes. She was deep in thought about what she was willing to do for her man. She loved him and wanted to be with him more than anything in this world. But Angela was right. Lacy never got involved with his work and she knew for a fact that bothered him.

She wouldn't make the same mistake that Lacy did. She would do whatever it took to make him happy and love her the way she loves him. She quickly chugged the rest of her beer and slammed the empty bottle on the table. "I'm ready to break my rule."

Lacy smiled, glad to see that she was getting through to Harley. "Good. Now we're getting somewhere. I think I have the perfect idea for you."

* * *

Bruce lay in his bed, feeling helpless as he watched Alfred bring in his dinner. He sat it down on the tray and slid it over to his bed.

"I prepared your favorites tonight." Alfred said, trying to be cheerful. Ever since he woke up and found out about his paralysis, Master Wayne had said few words. This worried Alfred and he wasn't sure how to help.

"Thanks." Bruce said flatly. "You can leave now."

"Sir…"

"I said you can leave now Alfred." Bruce repeated. "I may be paralyzed but I can still feed myself."

"I didn't mean to imply you couldn't." Alfred apologized. "I just thought that maybe you would like some company."

"Well I don't." Bruce replied, closing his eyes to avoid Alfred's gaze. "Thank you for dinner but that will be all. I don't need anything else."

"Alright." Alfred sighed, unsure of what to do now. "If you do need anything, just give me a call."

Bruce waited until Alfred was gone before opening up his eyes again. He didn't mean to be so cold and distant to Alfred, he just couldn't help it. Even the thought of being paralyzed permanently was enough to make him want to crawl out of his skin.

How would he fight crime as Batman if he was forever confined to a wheelchair? That's just it—he couldn't! So what would he do? Batman was all he had left now. It had taken over his entire life and he had sacrificed so many things to fight crime.

Without Batman he would just be plain old Bruce Wayne again—and he had no idea who that even was anymore. His whole identity was wrapped up in Batman. Over the years he had come to realize that one couldn't live without the other.

He tried to be optimistic and believe that his paralysis would only be temporary and he would be back on the streets in no time, but he couldn't help thinking about the possibility that he would be paralyzed forever. It was definitely a possibility.

He felt so helpless lying here, unable to get up without assistance. He felt weak, which was not something he was used to. He didn't like asking for help from anyone, especially for things that most people never give a second thought about doing. He couldn't envision a life with wheelchairs, handicap accessible vans or not being able to reach the top shelf of anything. He wanted to run, jump, walk and hell even skip around if he wanted.

He always knew there would come a day when he would no longer be able to go out as Batman anymore, but he thought that day wouldn't come for a long time and he thought the reason would be old age. He never expected or imagined that he would be in this position.

All day he had been trying to will himself to move his legs, thinking that all he needed to do was overpower his legs with sheer willpower and determination. He thought it might work because he was incredibly stubborn. But it did nothing but anger and frustrate him when he couldn't get his legs to move.

He sighed, leaning his head against the pillow. He wasn't sorry that he took that bullet for Lacy. He would do it again if he had the choice. He simply didn't know what to do with himself since he couldn't be Batman.

Upon thinking back, he realized a few hours ago that since he started going out as Batman he hadn't taken a single day off. There were days when he didn't go out patrolling, but those days were usually spent working on leads, analyzing clues, or continuing with his training. Every moment that wasn't spent keeping up appearances as Bruce Wayne was spent working as Batman.

So what was he going to do now? Alfred had told him that he called Lucius and explained what had happened. Lucius was going to tell the board and anyone else that asked about his disappearance a clever cover story about going on a long vacation. So he wasn't going to have to go out in the state he was in now.

He appreciated that. It was bad enough to see the look of pity and concern on Alfred and Lacy's faces. He couldn't handle seeing it on the faces of people who didn't really know or care about him. And besides that, it wouldn't be smart to be parading around the fact that he was confined to a wheelchair right now. The Joker would find out and then take that as a hall pass to do God only knows what to the city.

He sighed again, looking at his food and moving the tray away from his bed. He wasn't hungry anymore.

* * *

"So does that make sense?" Lacy asked Harley after they had come up with a basic plan.

"That's perfect!" Harley squealed. "Oh you are just about the best friend a girl could ever have! Mistah J will love this."

"I'm sure he will." Lacy smiled, hearing her phone vibrate. She picked it up and looked at the caller id, seeing it was Alfred. Worried that something had happened to Bruce, she decided to answer it. "Excuse me Harley, I need to take this call. I'll be right back."

She got up from the table and went into the ladies' room. After checking to make sure no one else was in there, she answered her phone. "Hey. Is something wrong?"

"No." Alfred said, changing his mind. "Yes. I don't know."

"Is he ok?" She asked, not wanting to say names because she couldn't be sure that she was completely alone. One thing she had learned was not to trust your surroundings.

"I'm afraid not." Alfred told her. "He's been moody all day and hasn't said much except that he wants to be alone. But I'm afraid that all this alone time isn't good for him. He won't talk about what he's thinking or going through and I'm worried about him."

"I know." She said. She could hear the worry and desperation in Alfred's voice. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Could you maybe come and try to talk to him?" Alfred suggested. "He won't talk to me but maybe he'll talk to you."

"Why would he talk to me?" Lacy snorted. "I'm the reason he's in that bed. I'm probably the last person he wants to see."

"Please Lacy?" He asked. "Isn't it worth a shot if there's a chance he might open up?"

She hated it when Alfred made a good point. "Ok. I have to finish something but I'll be over soon."

"Thank you." Alfred said. "I'll see you soon."

She sighed as she hung up. She doubted that Bruce would want to open up to her but, like Alfred said, it was worth a shot. She went back to the table to wrap up her conversation with Harley.

"Everything ok?" Harley asked.

"Actually, there's something I have to take care of." Lacy said. "Is there any way we could meet up tomorrow and finish planning this?"

"Sure." Harley shrugged. "You've been so helpful so far. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem." Lacy smiled. "Why don't I give you a call tomorrow and we can get together?"

"Sounds perfect." Harley exclaimed.

"Great." Lacy said before leaving. "Bye."

Harley looked at the notepad, which contained their plan. She was certain that this would get the attention of Mistah J and show him that she was everything he needed.


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: It might be a while before there's some direct Lacy/Joker interaction, but there will be some indirect interactions coming up in a couple of chapters. All I ask is that you're patient because I'll make it up to you later! Enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen

"Thanks for coming." Alfred told Lacy as he opened the front door for her. He took a look at her appearance and raised his eyebrow disapprovingly but said nothing. She had warned him that she would be doing things that seemed uncharacteristic of her, so he assumed this new style of dressing was one of those things.

"It's no problem." She assured him. She had noticed the weird look Alfred gave her but didn't say anything about it. She was probably just imagining it. "I'd do anything to help Bruce, but I'm not sure why he would want to talk to me—especially if he's not talking to you. But, like you said, it's worth a try."

"I brought him a tray of food earlier but I doubt he's eaten anything…"

"I'll try to see if I can get him to eat too." Lacy gave him a smile before heading to Bruce's room. She took a deep breath before knocking on his door.

"Go away!" Bruce's voice bellowed from the other side.

Lacy ignored the request, turning the knob and entering the room with a hesitant smile. "Hey."

"I said go away." He told her, turning his head away from her to look out the window.

"Oh." She feigned innocence. "I could have sworn you said come in." She shrugged. "Oh well. I'm in here now so I might as well stay for a bit. How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing?" He replied bitterly.

She took a look at the tray Alfred had brought in. "It looks like you haven't even touched your dinner."

"What are you? The food police?" Bruce asked.

"No." Lacy laughed, going over to the side of his bed. "I'm just a casual observer."

"Why are you here?" Bruce asked softly.

"I wanted to check on you and see how you're doing." She replied.

"Well as you can see, I'm alive and well so you can leave now." Bruce told her, still not looking over at her. He really just wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't anyone understand that?

"You're definitely alive," she chuckled, "but I don't think you're well."

"That's just your opinion." He stated, finally turning his head to look at her. When he did, he was surprised by what he saw. She was wearing extremely provocative clothes, which was highly unlike her. He couldn't help but stare as his eyes roamed up and down her body. "Nice outfit."

It was then that she realized she was still wearing the same outfit she wore to meet with Vincent Maroni. That explained the weird look Alfred gave her earlier. She blushed at the way Bruce was looking at her and, feeling slightly self-conscious, zipped up her jacket so that her cleavage wasn't hanging out there for all to see. Then she tried to pull her skirt down a little farther but it wouldn't go.

He couldn't help but smile and chuckle softly. "Did you wear that to cheer me up?"

She smiled back at him. "Not exactly, but it is nice to see you smile again. I actually had a meeting with someone earlier this evening."

The smile left his face. "Someone that you needed to dress like that for?" He sighed, realizing that she was already starting to go through with her insane plan to kill the Joker. "Do I even want to know who you met with?"

"Probably not." She shook her head. "You wouldn't like it if I told you."

"Well it's not like there's anything I can do about it now, seeing as how I'm stuck here indefinitely." He spat out bitterly. "So why not tell me?"

"Because it would only make you angry and worried, and you don't need to worry about me right now." She explained, taking a seat in the chair next to him. "You need to focus on getting better."

"I'm already angry, though not at you. And I'm still worried about you so I'd be no worse off than I am now." He countered.

"Save it." She laughed. "I'm not telling you anything so deal with it."

"Fine." He pouted.

"So you're not angry with me?" She asked softly after a few minutes of silence.

"No." He shook his head. "Why would I be?"

"It's my fault you got shot." She answered.

"No it's not." He assured her, resting his hand on hers. "I knew what I was doing when I pushed you to the ground. I don't blame you and neither should you."

"I don't deserve a friend like you." She told him, squeezing his hand softly.

"Yes you do." He told her. "But seeing as we're friends, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." She would gladly do him a favor, especially since he had saved her life twice. "What do you need?"

"I need to be left alone." He said. "I need you and Alfred to leave me alone."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Sorry. That's one favor I can't do."

"Why not?" He asked, getting angry again. "I just want to be by myself. Why is that such a bad thing?"

"Because you don't have to go through this alone. You have people that care about you and want to help you with this." She explained.

"How are you or Alfred going to help me with this?" He asked. "Tell me because I'd really like to know."

She sighed. A few minutes earlier she thought she was finally getting him to open up but now she felt like she was right back where she was when she first got here. But then she realized why Alfred wanted her to come in and talk to Bruce. "I can help you because I've been in your position. Granted, not your exact position, but close enough that I can empathize."

Lacy saw that she had his attention so she continued. "I know what it feels like to want to move a part of your body and not be able to. I know how frustrating it is to desperately try to command your body to obey you only to have it refuse. It's disheartening, de-moralizing and a major pain in the ass."

"I know what I went through with the Joker paralyzing me isn't the exact same thing that you're going through now but it's similar enough that it allows me to say that I know some of the things that must be going through your mind right now."

Truthfully, he hadn't even thought about it, but she was right. When the Joker paralyzed her she probably had some of the same thoughts he has now. "I guess you do know what this is like."

"Yeah." She shook her head. "And quite honestly, it sucks."

"Yeah it does." Bruce laughed.

"So why do you want to be alone so badly?" She asked.

"I just…" he thought about it for a moment. "I don't how to ask for help and I don't know how to be weak or vulnerable. Right now I have to be both of those things and I don't like it at all."

"That's understandable." She said. "But you can't shut Alfred out like this. He's worried sick about you. He cares about you so much and…"

"I know." He interrupted. "I just can't bear to see the look in his eyes. It's almost as bad as the look in your eyes."

"What look?" She asked, curious about what he was talking about. She didn't know she was giving him a look.

"The look of pity that you have whenever you look at me." He explained.

"I don't pity you Bruce." She told him softly. "I feel bad for you but it's not pity. It's more guilt than anything. And Alfred doesn't pity you either. We're just worried."

"Well I'm fine." He told her, crossing his arms across his chest like an insolent child would do.

She couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah. You're fine. There's absolutely nothing wrong with you."

"It's not funny." He scolded her.

Lacy sighed. "Look, I don't care if you share your thoughts with me, Alfred, or the Easter bunny. You just need to talk about this with someone. You've been a trauma and it's not good to hold it all inside. Isn't that what you have told me several times since we've met?"

She had a point there. He had always pressured her to talk about what she was going through. He hated it when she was right. "Fine. You want me to share what I'm thinking right now?" He saw her shake her head yes.

"Then I will." He prepared to let her know everything he was thinking. "What if I can't be Batman anymore? What if I can't walk ever again and am confined to a wheelchair? What am I going to do then? My whole identity is wrapped up in being Batman. Without him, I'm just…"

"You're just Bruce Wayne. You're absolutely right. Without Batman, you're really nothing." She interrupted.

He couldn't believe she was saying that. It was one thing for him to say it about himself, but wasn't she supposed to be trying to convince him that he was wrong?

She could see the wheels spinning in his mind as he wondered where she was going with this train of thought so she continued. "Without Batman you are just a man. You're just an amazingly wonderful, funny, intelligent, caring man."

He could see now that she was trying to use reverse psychology on him. "That's not going to work."

"What's not going to work?" She asked innocently.

"Reverse psychology." He answered.

Lacy knew that she had been found out and smiled. "The point I'm trying to make is that you're wrong about your whole identity being wrapped up in Batman. Batman is only a part of who you are."

"A big part." He corrected her.

"You weren't always Batman though." She pointed out. "You were just Bruce Wayne then and if God forbid this paralysis is permanent—which I don't think it is, you'll just be Bruce Wayne again. And it would take quite a bit of adjustment to let go of Batman but you would be ok."

"But who would fight crime and stop the criminals in this city?" He asked.

"I don't know." She answered honestly. "But I don't believe it will come to that. I don't believe that this is permanent."

"How? How can you believe that?" Bruce asked.

"Because I have to believe it." She replied. "I have to believe that the universe doesn't punish someone like you. It just wouldn't be fair and I have to believe that it won't happen. So you'll see. The swelling's gonna go down and you're gonna be fine."

"I wish I had your optimism." He sighed.

"I could let you borrow some if you want." She joked, hoping to get him to laugh or smile.

He couldn't help but laugh.

"Now I don't know about you, but I am starving." She looked over at the tray of food Alfred left and pulled it back over to the bed. "Mind if I mooch some food from you?"

He smiled. "Not at all, just save some for me."

She picked up a piece of bread and tore it in half. "Want to split this?"

"Sure." He nodded, taking the bigger half. He tore off a piece of the bread and put it in his mouth, watching as Lacy looked at the other food on the tray. After swallowing his bread he said, "thanks."

She looked over at him and smiled. "Well I figured after all that you've done for me, and considering this technically is your food that you should get the bigger half of the bread."

"No." He chuckled. "I meant for coming by and not leaving when I asked."

She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're welcome."

"And your outfit helped." He added with a smirk.

She just laughed and threw her piece of bread at him.

* * *

The Joker sat at his desk, leaning back in his chair. The plans for tomorrow's explosion were all set. Everyone had their assignments, the timeline was air-tight, and every possible problem had been solved. There was no way anything was going to stop this from happening.

Pleased with himself for concocting another brilliant plan, he let his mind wander to Batman. There hadn't been a sighting since the shooting. Interestingly enough, Bruce hadn't come in to work at Wayne Enterprises either. The official word going around was that he had gone on a much needed vacation, but the Joker knew better.

Will had told him that he shot Bruce in the back. Now he surmised that Bruce hadn't died or else the news would have been made public. Since they said he was simply on vacation he guessed that the bullet had done some serious damage.

Although he didn't know what kind of damage the bullet did, he was enjoying the possibilities. He especially loved the image of Bruce Wayne sitting in a wheelchair, unable to get up and fight. That thought always made him smile. Only time would tell though just what kind of damage the bullet did and he couldn't wait to find out.


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: This chapter brings a glimpse into some of Lacy's plans. One of them will be implemented in the next chapter as she stirs up more trouble. Enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen

Lacy sat on top of Vincent's desk, waiting for him to come into his office and discover her there. She had some details to discuss with him and some things she needed to ask him about. While waiting, she thought back on her visit with Dale last night.

"_So I hear that he's planning to hit something tomorrow." Lacy brought it up because she needed more information. "What is the target?" _

"_He's planning on blowing up your old office building." Dale laughed. "It's phase two of his plan to get rid of all reminders of your existence." _

_She laughed at the fact that he was so haunted by her that he felt he needed to blow stuff up in order to be able to deal with it. But if he felt haunted now, just wait until she was done with him. "When does he plan on doing this?" _

"_7:30 tomorrow night is when it starts. That's when the guys are going to start planting the explosives." Dale reported. A part of him wasn't sure that telling all of this to Lacy was a good idea, but the other alternative of death wasn't pleasant. _

"_Ok." She could work with that. She pulled a small bag out from her purse. "I need you to do me a favor…" _

Her plan was coming along brilliantly, with all the pieces moving into place. Dale knew exactly what he was to do later on today and she had just come from a meeting with Harley where they cemented the details for 'Harley's' plan. Just thinking about it made a smile form on her face.

"_Ok. Here's what I'm thinking." Lacy told Harley as they sat at their table in the bar. "Halloween is coming up soon. So why not throw a Halloween costume party?" _

"_That's your plan?" Harley asked, a little disappointed. "A party? How is that going to get Mistah J's attention?" _

"_Because it's not going to be just any kind of party." Lacy explained. "Here's what you do. You throw the party in a large space, like a warehouse. You get a few hundred people there and give them food, drinks and good music. Then about an hour or two into the party, you gas them." _

"_Gas them?" Harley was confused. "What kind of gas?" _

"_Poisonous gas." Lacy replied. _

"_I don't know." Harley was still hesitant about killing anyone, yet alone a couple hundred people._

"_Look, I know you're not 100% convinced that you can go through with killing someone but this is an easy way to introduce yourself to the crime scene. All you really have to do is rig up the gas to the air system and turn it on. It's one of the easier ways to kill someone." _

"_I guess so." Harley agreed. _

"_And I think it would really show the Joker that you are dedicated to joining him in his life of crime." Lacy pointed out. "You could have him come by before you gas people. He could even stay and watch if you want." _

"_It wouldn't upstage him though, would it?" As much as she wanted to prove herself to him, she didn't want to upset him by stealing his thunder and causing too much of a scene. _

"_I don't think so." Lacy shook her head. "I think it should be fine." _

"_So where would I get the poisonous gas?" Harley asked. "I don't know anyone in the crime world." _

"_That's why you have a friend like me." Lacy smiled. She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. "I'm going to give you the name and number of the guy that my husband used to use. He's really good and he can get you almost anything your heart desires. Just tell him that I sent you and he'll give you the special rate." _

"_Oh no!" Harley exclaimed as she took the paper from Angela. "I don't have much money and if I want this to be a surprise how am I going to pay for it?" _

"_I'll cover the expenses." Lacy offered. _

"_Are you sure?" Harley asked. "I don't want to put you out or anything."_

"_It wouldn't be a problem." She assured Harley. _

"_You're being really nice to me." Harley laughed. "You're basically giving me a plan and then paying for it. What do you get in return?" _

"_It's simple." Lacy stated, getting ready to lie. "I get to help you with your relationship and I get to plan capers. My husband never believed I was smart enough to help out with his business. He thought I was dumb and had no business sense at all, but he was wrong. I kind of enjoy being able to help you."_

_Harley listened to her story and smiled. "Oh. I can't believe your husband didn't think you were smart. You're one of the smartest women I know." _

"_Well thank you." Lacy smiled. _

Thankfully Harley bought her cover story and didn't question her about it anymore. She looked up when she heard the door open and saw Vincent enter the room.

He laughed when he saw her on his desk for the second time in as many days. "And to what do I owe this visit? Did you come to your senses and realize you want me now instead of later?"

She laughed and shook her head at his arrogance. "Actually, we have business to discuss."

"Business." He sighed. "Ok." He went over and poured a glass of scotch. "Want anything?"

"No thank you." She refused, crossing her legs as she continued to sit on his desk.

"Ok." He took a sip of his scotch and stood in front of her. "What business to we have to discuss today?"

"I've found a warehouse that I want to buy. I've already set up the dummy corporation and all I need now is your money to complete the transaction." She explained.

"I see." He took another sip of his scotch, admiring his view. She wasn't wearing a skirt today. Instead she chose black pants, though they were tight on her. Once again she had on a low-cut shirt but this time it was a white blouse. Her hair was up in a ponytail and it looked like she wasn't wearing any makeup.

He noted that she was the kind of natural beauty that didn't need a lot of makeup. It was refreshing to see a woman be confident enough about her appearance that she didn't feel the need to cake on pounds of makeup.

"All I need is you account number and I can get the funds transferred to you in minutes." He told her.

"Great." She smiled, pulling a piece of paper out from her bra and handing it to him. "Here you go."

He smiled as he took the paper. "Ooh, it's still warm."

She rolled her eyes. "Just transfer the funds."

He sat down his scotch and walked around the desk to his computer. After typing for a few moments he looked up at her. "Do you want me to wire the whole half a million or just enough to cover the warehouse?"

"The whole amount will be fine." She answered, getting up from his desk and walking around to stand behind him.

With a few more moments of typing and a few clicks of the mouse he turned his chair around to face her. "It's done."

"Good." She nodded, walking back around and sitting in a chair. "A woman is going to call you sometime today. She's going to try and hire you to do a job for her. She'll want you to supply her with poisonous gas. It would help me out if you would play along and pretend to sell her whatever she wants."

Vincent laughed. "Who is the woman and why will she be calling me about poisonous gas?"

"It's Harley Quinn, the Joker's new girl and it's a part of my plan for the Joker." She explained.

"I still don't quite understand." Vincent laughed again. "You've told me about your plans for him. How does poisonous gas play into it?"

"It's a long story." Lacy shook her head. "And it's not important. All I need you to do is play along and pretend to sell her some poisonous gas." She leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees to give him a better view of her cleavage, hoping that would convince him to go along with her scheme. "Please?"

He sighed, finding it difficult to say no to her. "Alright. I'll do it since you asked so nicely."

"Thank you." She smiled sweetly as she leaned back in her chair.

"So I'm curious." Vincent said. "You've seen and talked with Harley Quinn, right?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"What do you think about her?" He asked.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I don't really think anything about her."

"You mean to tell me that you don't have an opinion about her?" Vincent probed. "I mean, she's the woman that has taken your place. She's the woman that your husband has chosen to replace you with."

"So?" Lacy asked, wondering where he was going with these questions.

"So?" He repeated. "So you're fine with that? You don't have any feelings on the subject?"

She laughed. "Who my wonderful husband chooses to keep around him is not my concern."

"So you're not the least bit jealous?" Vincent asked. "I mean, I've seen the pictures of her and she is very attractive. I wouldn't resist her."

"You don't resist any woman as long as she doesn't weigh more than you." Lacy countered.

He couldn't help but smile. "True. But I definitely wouldn't pass up a chance with her."

"Well good luck with that because she's totally devoted to the Joker." She chuckled.

"And that doesn't bother you or make you jealous?" Vincent asked.

"Why won't you drop this subject?" Lacy sighed.

"Because I'm a very curious man." Vincent answered.

"Didn't you know that curiosity killed the cat?" She pointed out.

"Yes, but at least the cat died satisfied." Vincent countered. "Look, I'm helping you by playing along and pretending for Harley. The least you can do is answer the few personal questions I have."

She sighed because she didn't see any way out of this. "Fine. I'll answer three questions so choose carefully."

"Alright." He smiled, knowing he had won. "The first question is are you jealous of Harley Quinn? She's very beautiful and has basically taken over and replaced you."

"I'm not jealous of her." Lacy answered, hoping that her poker face would serve her well again. The truth was that she did feel a little bit of jealousy around Harley. After all, like Vincent continues to point out, she is the woman that her husband chose to replace her with. She supposed it was only natural for any woman to feel slightly jealous towards any woman who started a relationship with an ex.

At least she hoped so.

As much as she hates the Joker and wants to see him dead, there is a very small, miniscule part of her that still loves the person he used to be. It's still a struggle sometimes to look at a picture of the Joker and not see Jack. But every time that happens she just takes a look at herself in the mirror and realizes that Jack is gone forever.

Love for her wasn't something that she could turn on and off like a faucet. Once it's there, she can't stop it from coming out. She can prevent it from flowing freely but she can't stop it completely. The best she can do is reduce it to a few drops that fall every once and awhile. And that's where she was at. Every once and awhile she would feel drops of love for Jack—and she hated herself for it.

Though she would never admit that to anyone.

She continued her response to Vincent's question. "And the reason I'm not jealous of her is because I'm irreplaceable. She hasn't truly replaced me yet because I'm still in his head. My name still falls off his lips several times a day and he still thinks about me. Now I'm not egotistical or anything, but I think that means that Harley's not completely replaced me."

"Yet." Vincent added.

"Not ever." She corrected him.

"Fair enough." He nodded, sufficiently satisfied with her answer.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: I'm glad to see that people are enjoying this story as much/if not more than the first one. It's always so difficult to write sequels and keep up the momentum from the first one. Enjoy!

Chapter Sixteen

"Aren't you going to ask the other two questions?" Lacy asked him after a few minutes had gone by in silence.

"I'm going to save my questions for later." He told her. "Just in case there are other things I get curious about."

"Ok." It was fine with her. She didn't really want to answer any more personal questions right now anyway. "Then if we're done sharing, I have something else I need to ask for your help with."

"What is it?" Vincent asked.

"I need the use of some of your men for a job." She told him.

"What kind of job?" He was intrigued.

"Well if you must know, I need to break someone out of someplace." She replied, being as vague as possible.

"Who and where?" Vincent asked, needing more information than she was giving.

"I don't see why those details are important." She pointed out. "You agreed that I would have the use of your men for anything I needed help with. The deal never specified that I had to tell you exactly what they would be doing."

He chuckled. "But you can't honestly expect me to just send my men off with you without knowing what they are going to do."

"Well I was hoping." Lacy smirked.

"Too bad." He laughed. "I need details or you don't get my help."

"Ok." She took a deep breath. "There's someone I need to break out of Arkham, but I can't tell you who it is so don't even bother asking."

"Why would you need to get someone from Arkham?" Vincent wondered out-loud.

"It's a long story, one that I don't want to get into right now. Just believe me when I say that this person is very important to my plan." She hoped he wouldn't press her to reveal who she was trying to get out of Arkham. She wanted to keep it quiet for as long as she could.

After a few moments of pondering her request he relented. "Ok. You can have my men help you with this. Just don't get them killed or arrested please."

"I will do my best to prevent that." She promised.

"How many guys will you need for this secret mission to Arkham?" He asked.

"Ten should be plenty." She answered.

"Then ten you shall have." He smiled at her.

"Thank you." She smiled back. "I'll come by tomorrow and fill them in on the plan." By then she should have the plan figured out and details finalized. Looking at her watch, she realized she had things to do and places to be. "Now if you will excuse me, I have other appointments to attend to. Don't forget. When Harley calls…"

"I have to sell her some poisonous gas." He finished her sentence for her. "I know, I know. I'll do it."

Vincent watched her walk out of his office with a smile on his face and a shake of his head. He couldn't help but be intrigued by her. She was so confident on the outside, so sure of herself and her plan to kill the Joker. She truly believed she would be able to do it. Hell, maybe she will. He's just happy to be along for the ride.

* * *

Lacy entered Bruce's penthouse a short time later and immediately went looking for Alfred. She found him in the kitchen. "Hey." She greeted, sitting at the kitchen island.

"Hello." Alfred smiled at her. "What are you up to today?" He doubted that she would tell him exactly what she was doing, but it was worth a shot. He noticed that she was dressed provocatively again but didn't feel it was his place to say anything about that either.

"Just running some errands and meeting with some people." She shrugged.

"I see." Alfred nodded. "Have you come to visit Master Wayne?"

"Yes, and I'll do that in a moment but I wanted to talk to you first." She told him. "I have been thinking and I don't think that this place is safe enough for him or you."

"This penthouse has a great deal of security." Alfred pointed out.

"I know." She nodded. "But after tonight the Joker's going to be pretty mad and agitated. He's probably going to be on the warpath. I don't want him to be able to get to you two right now, especially given Bruce's condition."

"Why will he be on the warpath?" Alfred asked. "What are you planning on doing tonight?"

"It's nothing, really." She shrugged it off.

"It's obviously something." Alfred argued. "You're making it seem like he's going to be out for blood."

"And I really think he might be out for blood." She laughed nervously. "I'm going to try and keep him distracted so that he won't come after you two but I can't guarantee anything."

"I'd ask you how you were going to distract him but I have a feeling I don't want to know." Alfred sighed.

"I don't want to get you involved in this." She told him. "Just please trust me."

"Fine." He sighed again, knowing he wasn't going to be able to convince her to tell him anything. She was too stubborn. "So what are you suggesting?"

"Is there any place in the city that you two could go stay for awhile?" She asked. "Any place that would be safe?"

"I think we'll be fine here." Alfred told her. "I can add some extra security but I don't think it would be wise to move him right now. The swelling has gone down a little and I worry that if we move him it might agitate things."

"Ok." She answered. The last thing she wanted to do was jeopardize Bruce's health. She just didn't want to see him get hurt by the Joker again. "I guess extra security will have to do for now. I just want you two to be safe."

"And I appreciate it." He assured her. "But we'll be fine."

"You better be." She warned with a grin. "Or else I'm going to be very grumpy."

He laughed. "And neither of us want that to happen."

* * *

The Joker sat in the back of the van with some of the men who were going to be helping him with the explosion at the Ace Consulting building. Everything had been planned for thoroughly and he felt confident that nothing could undermine this operation. However, as the van drove closer to the building, he saw the flashing lights of cop cars.

"What the hell is going on?" He yelled, looking out the window.

"It looks like there's a road block up ahead." Pete, the driver replied.

"I can see that." The Joker spat out angrily. "What are the police doing here?" They were stationed right out front of the Ace Consulting building. It looked like there were cops going in and out of the building.

"I dunno, Boss." Pete replied. "Do you want me to drive up as close as I can get?"

"Why?" He questioned. "We obviously can't go blow the building up when there are a ton of cops crawling around. I'm good but not that good."

"So then are we going to just turn around?" Pete asked.

"Yes." The Joker sulked. "Let's just go back to the place on Elm St. We'll regroup there." As the van turned around he wondered what the police was doing there. Did someone tip them off about his plan to blow it up tonight? It was too weird for it to be just a coincidence.

He picked up his phone and decided to call one of the guys he had on the inside of the police force.

"Officer Sullivan." The voice on the other end of the phone greeted in a rushed tone.

"It's been a while Officer Sullivan. How have you been?" The Joker asked.

"Oh." Sullivan said, realizing who this was and moving over to a place where he could talk more freely. It was hard to find a place where there weren't other cops but he managed to find a spot where he could talk to the Joker if he was quiet. "Look, now's not a good time. I'm in the middle of something."

"I don't need much of your time." The Joker promised. "Why are the police outside of the Ace Consulting building?"

"Someone called in a bomb threat." Sullivan whispered. "The call came in about a half hour ago and they said that there was a bomb in the building. Actually they blamed you for it."

"Really?" The Joker seethed with anger. Someone had ratted him out to the police. "I need a copy of the phone call."

"I can't do that." Sullivan refused. "But it doesn't matter because you won't be able to identify the voice anyway. They used a Star Wars voice changer. So unless Darth Vader is one of your guys the phone call won't be of any help to you."

"Damn it!" The Joker yelled out. "Fine. Thanks for nothing." He hung up the phone and stared out the window. Someone had double-crossed him. They were smart enough to use something to disguise their voice. But why did they call in the bomb threat so early? If they knew about his plans to bomb the building then conceivably they also knew what time he was going to strike.

So the question remained, why call it in so early? Why not wait so that the police would be able to apprehend him? They apparently only wanted to stop him from blowing up the building, and weren't interested in getting his arrested. What kind of game was this person playing?

He thought about who would be the most likely to double cross him. The person he thought of first was a certain blonde. His anger ran freely in his blood, making him unable to see anything but red. Someone had to pay for this.

He saw that they had pulled up to the Elm St. house and immediately jumped out the back of the van. He tore through the front door. "Harley!" He bellowed. "Harley! Where are you?"

"Coming!" She answered sweetly. She was in the bedroom making plans for her own scheme but didn't expect him to come back so soon. "What are you doing back so soon? I thought you'd be gone longer. How did it…"

He didn't let her finish her sentence, instead slamming her up against the wall. "Someone called the cops and warned them about my plans."

"What do you mean?" She asked, not sure why he was holding her against the wall. He seemed furious, but couldn't understand why he seemed to be taking it out on her.

"I mean that someone called the cops and told them that I was going to be putting a bomb in that building. Care to explain how they found out?" He asked.

"I don't know." Harley shook her head. "Maybe someone decided to rat on you."

"Yes, that's what I think too." The Joker smirked. "I wonder who it could be?"

"I don't know." She shook her head.

"What about you?" He asked, tightening his hold on her.

"Me?" She squeaked. "I didn't do it. Why do you think I had anything to do with it?"

"So you're denying it?" He asked.

"Yes I am!" She exclaimed. "I wouldn't rat you out to the police. Why would I want you to be arrested? I love you. The last thing I want to see is you behind bars. If I did, I would have just left you in Arkham."

He had to admit that she did make a good point. Perhaps it wasn't her that sold him out and prevented him from carrying out his plan. He released his grip on her and then kissed her on the lips. "I'm going to my office."

She stood there against the wall, watching him leave and wondering just what happened.

The Joker sighed heavily as he stormed into his office, slamming the door behind him. He fell into his chair and leaned back, contemplating what just happened. It took him a few moments to realize there was something on his desk. It was a small, rectangular box.

He looked at the box carefully, picking it up and examining all of its sides. Then he sat it back down on the desk and slowly opened it up. Inside he found a note. After picking up the note he saw that there was a card underneath it. He picked up the card, deciding to look at it first.

Turning the card over, he saw that it was the Queen of hearts. Confused, he put it down on the table. He unfolded the note and noticed that it was a typed note so there was no way to identify the sender. Sighing, he read the message._.._

_I love you, I'll kill you...but I love you forever.  
_

_XOXO_


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: A big thanks to everyone taking the time to read and/or review this story! Enjoy!

Chapter Seventeen

The Joker's fists pounded the desk as he re-read the note.

_I love you, I'll kill you…But I love you forever._

_XOXO_

Those were the words he said to Lacy right before he pushed her car into the water. Those were the last words he said to her before she died. He wondered who was playing this game with him. No one could have heard him say those words except Lacy. Chip and Dale were too far away and Batman hadn't shown up yet. He hadn't told Harley about it. So that just left…

No. There was no way. Lacy couldn't be alive.

Right?

No. He laughed off the absurd notion. There was no way Lacy was still alive.

There had to be some other explanation for this. He racked his brain trying to come up with one, but found himself being unsuccessful. He looked at the playing card again and couldn't help but laugh.

If, and he still wasn't wanting to believe it, Lacy was still alive, she still had her sense of humor. Sending him a Queen of hearts card was clever. And calling the police to warn them of his plans to blow up her old office building was definitely something he could imagine her doing. But how would she know about his plans?

How would she have any idea what he was up to and planning? It made no sense to him…unless someone in his organization was helping her. He made a vow to find anyone who was helping her and make them suffer a slow, anguish-filled death.

But he was getting a head of himself. He didn't even know if it really was Lacy or not. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the box sent with the note and playing card. As much as he almost regretted killing her, he wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of her being alive.

Her presence complicated things and brought up feelings he would rather bottle up and ignore.

He wondered if she was spending time with Bruce again. The last time he saw them together there was noticeable tension and he wondered if Bruce was able to forgive Lacy for everything. Perhaps it would be prudent to place one of his men in 24-hour surveillance of Bruce's penthouse. If Lacy was the one who sent him this box then she might try to visit Bruce and then he would have proof. If not, then the worst that happened was he wasted his guys' time.

He wouldn't advertise the possibility of Lacy being alive—at least not yet. First he would set up the surveillance of Bruce's penthouse and have a few of his guys check around town for any signs of her. This situation called for subtlety. If he launched a city-wide campaign to find her it might scare her off. But keeping this quiet for now seemed like the best thing. After all, if he was wrong he would look even crazier.

* * *

Harley was still in the hallway, debating whether or not to go check on her man when her phone rang. "Hello?" She absent-mindedly answered.

"Hey Harley. It's Angela." Lacy greeted happily. "Is this a bad time?"

"No…yes…I don't really know." Harley replied, taking the phone into the kitchen and sitting down at the table.

"What's wrong?" Lacy asked, already knowing. By her calculations the Joker must have by now seen that he couldn't blow up her office building with the cops already there. She could only imagine how angry he must be right now to have his plans ruined and lose his sense of control over the situation.

She wondered if he had been into his office to see the surprise she had Dale leave for him. God she would have loved to see the look on his face when he read that note. It would have been priceless. But she would have to wait on that.

"There was a problem with Mistah J's plan for tonight. Something didn't go right and he wasn't able to go through with it. So he's really angry right now." Harley explained.

"Oh. That's too bad." Lacy said, trying not to laugh.

"He's in a mood where he wants to find someone to blame. He even thought I had something to do with it but I think I've convinced him how dumb of an idea that would be. I'd never double-cross and betray him like that." Harley defended herself.

"Of course you wouldn't." Lacy sympathized. She knew that Harley would never consciously betray the Joker, but she was conspiring with his enemy. He won't take too kindly at that fact when he finds out. But what he does to Harley isn't her problem. As far as she's concerned, Harley signed her own death warrant the day she let the Joker into her life.

"So he's in his office right now, being angry, moody and pouting." Harley told her. "I'm debating whether or not to go in and try to help him."

"Well perhaps you could wait a few minutes and talk to me for a moment instead?" Lacy suggested.

"I guess letting him pout for a few more minutes won't hurt anything." Harley shrugged. "What's up?"

"First of all, did you get in touch with that guy today?" She asked.

"Yes!" Harley exclaimed, excited about her plan. "And everything's all set. He can get it delivered in plenty of time for Halloween."

"Great." Lacy smiled, glad to hear that Vincent came through for her. Perhaps he wasn't totally useless after all. "I'm so glad he was able to help you."

"Thank you so much for all your help." Harley gushed. "I don't know how to repay you."

"Well, I hate to bring this up, but there is something that I need. And I think you would be the perfect person to help me with it." Lacy said, trying to sound hesitant about asking for Harley's help. She had this whole conversation choreographed in her mind like a dance, and she had to get the steps just right in order for it to work properly.

"Oh." Harley said. "Well I'd be happy to help you with whatever you need. You've already done so much for me it's the least I can do. What do you need?"

"I need to break someone out from Arkham." Lacy told her. "And I need to know some information about the place so that I can plan a successful break-out."

"Who are you breaking out of there?" Harley asked, curious about who Angela could possibly know in Arkham. She was new to this city.

"It's my brother." Lacy lied. "He got involved with the mob in this city a few years ago. He ran into some trouble with the police and ended up getting arrested. But this was back when Dr. Crane was testifying for mob guys and getting them moved to Arkham by saying they were criminally insane."

She had this lie crafted perfectly and was proud of it. Though at first she was hesitant to break Crane out of Arkham, she soon realized it was the best way to distract the Joker. There was no doubt in her mind that once he saw the Queen card and note she left he would start piecing things together and strongly suspect she was still alive.

He wouldn't advertise that theory, but he would start snooping. And one of the places he would start snooping around would be Bruce's penthouse. Given that Bruce isn't exactly able to fend off any more of the Joker's attacks, she needed something to draw the Joker's attention elsewhere.

And what better way to do that than to bring back someone else he thought was dead? Dealing with Crane had its' risks and she wasn't sure she would be able to control him, but it was a risk she was willing to take if it meant that Bruce and Alfred could be safe.

She continued her sob story. "My brother is not crazy. I know he's not and he doesn't deserve to be in Arkham. That's why I came to this city. I want to get him out of there. He's really the only family I have left and I can't stand to think of him still rotting away in there."

"Wow." Harley was touched by Angela's dedication to her brother. "But why haven't you tried to get him out before?"

"Things have been complicated." Lacy sighed. "My late husband didn't share my concern over my brother's well-being. It was one of many things we disagreed upon. But now that he's gone I am finally in a place where I can do something about it."

Lacy wondered if she might have been an actress in a former life because lying and sticking to a script came so easily to her. "I hate to ask you for your help because I don't want you to think I'm using you. I just think that your knowledge of Arkham could be extremely beneficial, especially since you have already broken out one inmate."

"Oh I don't think you're using me!" Harley assured her. "If anything, to an outsider, it would look like I've been using you!"

"Well I don't look at it that way." Lacy spoke up. "I'd like to think that we're just two friends who are helping each other out."

"Absolutely!" Harley exclaimed happily. "And that's why I'll tell you anything you want to know about Arkham."

"Wonderful." Lacy grinned. "I'm sure with your knowledge we can make a foolproof plan for my brother's safe escape."

* * *

Alfred was washing dishes in the kitchen and watching the news with the hope of figuring out what Lacy was planning on doing tonight. The news report grabbed his attention when he saw Lacy's old office building in the background and he immediately turned up the volume.

"_Police are still here investigating an anonymous call they received earlier in the evening. The caller apparently let the police know that the Joker was planning on planting explosives in this building." _

"_Now this office building belongs to Ace Consulting, which was the company the Joker's wife, Lacy, worked for before her death. Police aren't saying whether or not they have found any explosive devices in the building yet."_

_The camera went back to Mike Engel in the newsroom. "Roxanne, are the police giving you any indication whether this alleged attack has anything to do with the arson that destroyed the apartment building Lacy lived in and killed dozens?" _

_The camera then shifted back to Roxanne, who was standing at the scene. "No Mike, the police are being rather quiet about this whole situation. But it would seem like the Joker is trying to destroy anything which reminds him of his late wife." _

"_Thank you for your report Roxanne. And now…" _

When the news turned to something else, Alfred hit the mute button. Lacy must have been the anonymous caller to the police, but he wondered how she knew about the Joker's plans. Whatever she game she was playing with him; he only hoped she knew what she was doing.

* * *

Harley stood in the doorway of the Joker's office. She had gotten off the phone with Angela about fifteen minutes ago and had come straight to the office. When she got there she didn't make her presence known, just stood there watching him.

He was holding a note and what looked to her to be a playing card. His eyes darted from the card to the note and back again, like he was trying to understand it. She sighed and finally made her presence known, hesitantly walking over towards him and putting her arms around his shoulders.

"Are you feeling any better now?" She asked sweetly.

He sighed, folding up the note and putting the note and the card back in the box. "Sure." He shrugged.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing to the box.

"Something that was left here." He answered. "You were here the whole time I was gone, right?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I took a shower and stayed up in the bedroom. Why?"

"Did you happen to see or hear anyone else come into the house?" He asked, hoping she would be able to give him something to go on.

"No." She shook her head. "The house was completely quiet."

He wasn't sure if he could believe her or not. This whole situation had taught him that he had at least one traitor in his organization. He didn't want to be paranoid, but he was beginning to think that he could trust no one—not even Harley.

Especially Harley.


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen

Bruce lay in his bed the next morning, watching the news report and thinking back to Lacy's visit from yesterday.

"_How are you feeling?" She asked as she came over to sit on the side of his bed. _

"_Same." He shrugged. "Dr. Troy said the swelling has gone down a little." _

"_That's great!" She smiled. Then she noticed he wasn't smiling. "That is great, right?" _

"_Yeah, of course it is." He told her. "He said it is a very encouraging sign that the swelling is already going down so soon after the trauma."_

"_Then why do you look like someone kicked your puppy?" She asked, her eyebrow rising. _

_He smiled at that and shook his head. "I guess I just don't have a lot of patience for small victories." _

"_I know you want to get out of this bed and back to your normal life but it's going to take some time." She pointed out. _

"_I realize that." He sighed. "But I want to get out of this bed. I want to go out as Batman and track down the Joker. I want to stop you from going through with this plan of yours and I want to stop you from having to dress like that." He pointed at her clothing choices. _

_She laughed, standing up and twirling around. "I thought you liked my new clothes." _

_He smirked. "I'm a man. Of course I do. What I don't like is the underlying reason for your new clothes. I have no clue what you're doing or why you'd need to dress like that. I'm worried about you." _

"_That's sweet." She smiled at him. "But I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself." _

"_So you keep saying." He sighed. _

"_And the reason I've kept you in the dark is because you'd probably worry more if you knew what I was doing." She explained as she sat back down on the bed. _

"_Great." He grumbled. _

"_But don't worry. You won't have to see any more of my outfits because I'm not going to be able to visit you here anymore." She told him. _

_He became alarmed at her statement. "Why not? What's going on?" _

"_There's something happening tonight and as a result I can't be seen coming in and out of your building." She explained, trying to be vague. _

"_What are you going to do?" He asked, wondering if he would be able to get her to tell him anything. _

"_Nothing, really." She shrugged. "I'm just going to let the Joker know there's a possibility I'm still alive." _

"_Why in the hell would you do that?" He yelled at her. "Have you lost your mind? Nothing good can come from the Joker even suspecting you're alive."_

_She expected this reaction from him, but it didn't make it any easier to take. "Well I'm not planning on taking out an ad in the Gotham Times with my picture and a map of where I'm staying." She pointed out. "I'm just planting the seed of doubt in his mind." _

"_This is a, really bad, horrible, terrible idea." He shook his head. _

_She sighed. "This is just a part of my plan. But it means that I can't come over because he's probably going to have one of his guys watching your penthouse to see who goes in and comes out."_

"_I see." He thought about it for a moment. "You could always use the secret entrance." _

"_You have a secret entrance?" She never imagined that he would, but it would make sense. That way he would be able to slip in and out as Batman without people knowing. _

"_Yes." He nodded. "You're more than welcome to use it. Alfred can show you where it's at when you leave."_

"_Thanks." She smiled. "He's going to be looking for me all over town, though I doubt he'll publicize it yet—at least until he's sure that I'm really alive and that he's not imagining things."_

"_I really wish you wouldn't do this." Bruce told her. _

"_I have everything under control." She assured him. "Trust me." _

"_You say that you have everything under control now. But what happens when the Joker gets the upper-hand and I'm not around to save you again because I'm stuck in this damn bed? You have to know by now that the Joker won't waste any time tracking you down. What's going to happen then?" He didn't even wait for her to say anything before continuing. "I'll tell you what's going to happen. You're going to end up dead because no one will be there to rescue you this time." _

"_Wow." She finally spoke after letting his words linger in the air for a moment. His words stung and she didn't want to cry, even though she thought she might. "I didn't know that's what you really thought about me." She stood up, avoiding his gaze. "You really have no faith in me at all, do you?" _

_He immediately felt bad for what he had said. It hadn't come out right at all and now he had stuck his foot in his mouth again. "Lacy…" _

"_No, Bruce, you don't really need to say anything else. You've already said enough." She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "You may not think that I can actually pull this off, and hell you may be right! I may be getting in way over my head here." _

_She laughed darkly. "I mean, honestly, what makes me think that I can make any difference at all? What makes me think that I can do absolutely anything to stop the Joker? I'm just a girl. I'm just a weak, pathetic girl who allowed herself to be manipulated and used for way too many years and he is a psychotic criminal mastermind. You're right. I don't stand a chance, especially if you're not there to save me." _

_She looked him in the eyes. "Thank you Bruce for curing me of my silly delusions." She then turned and started to leave. _

"_Lacy, please don't go!" Bruce called out to her, cursing the fact that he couldn't go after her. "I didn't mean what I said. It came out wrong." _

"_Don't worry about it." She told him without turning to face him. She stopped at the door and paused. "You know, I never asked you to save me." _

He still felt incredibly bad about what he said to her. He honestly didn't mean for it to come out that way. He didn't mean to be so harsh. But he said it the wrong way and now she was mad at him. He couldn't blame her. He had basically told her that he didn't believe she could do anything without needing to be saved.

Though the fact remained that usually she needed someone to come and rescue her from the Joker. He was simply worried about who would help her this time since he wasn't available. He wondered if he would get the chance to apologize to her about it. He had called her cell phone several times already, but she seemed to be ignoring his calls.

He decided to try her phone one more time. It rang four times before her voicemail picked up.

_Hey. I can't answer the phone right now. Just leave me a message and I'll get back to you._

"Hey Lacy. I really want to talk to you. The fact that you're not answering leads me to believe you're either (a) busy, (b) not busy, but you don't want to talk to me, or (c) not ignoring me, desperately want to talk to me, but trapped under something heavy. If it's either (a) or (c), please call me back."

He sighed as he turned off his phone. Hopefully she would call him back.

* * *

Lacy sat on Vincent's desk, again waiting for him to come back to his office. She wasn't in a very good mood today, even though her plans were working perfectly. Bruce's comments from yesterday still bothered her and she wasn't sure what to do about it.

She realized that in the past she had gotten into situations where she needed him to rescue her. But she had never asked him to save her. She was prepared to die two years ago in that car. And although she wouldn't have been happy about it, she would have been ok with being shot by the sniper.

She knew that he was just worried about her, but she didn't like the hero complex that he seemed to have. She didn't need saving. She knew what she was doing and, even if the Joker did get the upper hand, she didn't need to rely on someone else to rescue her. The last two years of her life were spent planning and getting ready for this exact moment.

Last night she felt so stressed out about it that she took a bubble bath to relax. After thinking about the situation in the bathtub, she realized the reason she was so shaken up by his words was that she needed him to believe in her.

She knew that he would never condone or agree with her methods and he would never be happy about her plan once it was unfurled. But she wanted, needed him to support her on this and believe in her.

There weren't many people she needed acceptable and approval from. Actually, there were only two if she didn't count herself. Bruce and Alfred. She knew she had Alfred's support and that he believed in her. And up until last night she thought she had that from Bruce as well. But she was wrong.

It bothered her, although she realized it was silly. She shouldn't rely on anyone else's acceptance and didn't need anyone's approval. She was prepared for anything. But Alfred had become like a father-figure to her and Bruce…well she wasn't sure what label she would put on him. She just knew that both of them were important to her.

The door opened and she saw Vincent enter with a smile on his face.

"Well, this is becoming a very welcomed tradition." He laughed. "A guy could get used to walking into his office and seeing you waiting for him."

"Don't get too used to it." She warned. "This is a temporary arrangement."

He sighed, pouring himself a drink. He knew better than to offer her something because she always refused. This time he was surprised though.

"Can I get one of those?" She asked, pointing to his glass of scotch.

"Sure." He raised an eyebrow at her out of suspicion but went back and poured her a glass. Then he handed it to her, watching amused as she downed the whole glass in one large gulp. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, setting the empty glass on the desk.

"You have refused a drink every time you've come here and now today you practically chug my scotch. Something bothering you?" He asked, going over and sitting in his chair.

"No." She shook her head. The last thing she wanted to do was get to personal with Vincent.

He decided to let it drop for now. "I saw on the news last night that someone clued the police in on the Joker's crime beforehand, preventing him from being able to blow up the building he wanted to blow up. I wonder how he's taking it."

"He's acting like a child." She reported. "Apparently pouting in his office."

Vincent laughed. "Serves him right. You should be happy right now. Your plan is working so far."

"Oh I am happy about that." She assured him. "I spoke to Harley and she was completely convinced by your phone conversation."

"Good." He nodded. "I'm glad to have been able to help."

"Speaking of help," she smiled, "did you assemble ten guys for my breakout?"

"I did." He nodded. "They are waiting in the next room. Do you have your plan all ready?"

"Yes." After talking with Harley last night she had formulated the perfect plan. By the end of the day, Dr. Crane would once again be back on the streets. "Feel free to send in the guys. We have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time."


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Nineteen

"I'm surprised that you aren't going to go with them." Vincent said after the guys left his office. Lacy had just finished explaining the plan thoroughly.

"How is it that you just found out that the Scarecrow is still alive and the thing that you're most surprised about is that I'm not going along?" She asked with a laugh.

"Well it doesn't surprise me that the police are simply trying to hide Crane away from the public." Vincent explained. "But it does surprise me that you are trusting my men to do the job without your direct supervision."

"Well I do like to micro-manage but it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go along. There will be security cameras there and Crane knows what I look like. The last thing I need is for him to make a big deal about me being alive in front of a bunch of other people." She told him.

"It makes sense I guess." He nodded.

"Look, do you have any place available that he could stay?" She asked.

Vincent went over to his desk and scribbled down an address before handing the paper to her. "Here. It's a safe house that rarely ever gets used."

"Good. A house is perfect because he's going to need a place that's safe and big enough for him to do some work."

"What kind of work?" Vincent asked, leery of allowing him to work on anything. The city was still anxious from the fear toxin he helped unleash a few years ago.

"Something that I need for this plan." She answered. "Trust me."

"It's not you I'm worried about." Vincent laughed. "It's him. You're taking a big risk bringing Crane back into the game. Are you sure you can trust him?"

"No." She shook her head and laughed softly. "But it's something that needs to be done."

"Ok." He nodded. "I'm starting to learn not to doubt you. You know, it's a shame you've waited this long to get into the crime scene. You are a natural at this."

"Who would have thought I'd actually be good this." She shrugged.

"I'm actually in awe of you." Vincent admitted. "I've never met a woman like you. You're very good at crime and manipulation."

"I'm going to assume that's a compliment." She laughed.

"Oh it is." He assured her. "You are absolutely amazing."

"Ok." She decided to stop this before she became even more uncomfortable. "I know you want to get in my pants, but complimenting like this isn't going to make that happen. So you can stop now."

"Honestly, this is one time that I'm not trying to score with you." He admitted. "I truly think you are wonderful."

"Well thank you." She replied, not sure what his angle was. She still believed he was saying that stuff to get on her good side. "But I have to go take care of some things to do in preparation for Crane's release. I'll be back later to make sure your guys leave on time."

"See you then." Vincent smiled, watching her leave his office. "Hate to see her go but love to watch her leave." He whispered to himself.

* * *

The Joker paced around his office. He was still consumed by the idea of Lacy still being alive. He went back and forth on the subject, at times thinking it was a misunderstanding and other times convinced that she was out there somewhere. He thought that he had been haunted by her death but the prospect of her being alive was haunting him more than her death.

When his phone rang, he picked it up halfway through the first ring. "Yeah?"

"Hey boss." Will greeted. "I'm over here keeping surveillance on Bruce Wayne's penthouse but I haven't seen anyone enter who fits the description you gave me."

"Are you sure?" The Joker questioned.

"Yeah." Will answered. "You gave me a pretty clear description of who I'm looking for and I've been watching all day. But so far I've seen nothing."

"Fine." He sighed angrily. He had sent Will out to do the first shift of surveillance, giving him a thorough description of Lacy. He was careful not to say her name or let it slip that it was her he was looking for. "Is your replacement there?"

"Yeah." Will told him.

"Ok, good. Keep me informed of any changes." The Joker said before hanging up. He was certain that if Lacy was alive she would be visiting Bruce. He would have bet money on it. Perhaps he was wrong though. Perhaps Bruce's penthouse was the last place she would go. Maybe he had to think outside the box to find her…if she really was alive.

This whole thing was giving him a headache. He turned to see Harley standing in the doorway with a goofy smile on her face. "How long have you been there?"

"Only a few seconds." She answered, taking that as her cue to enter the room.

"What's the smile about?" He questioned as she wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a kiss on his lips.

"I have a surprise for you!" She squealed happily.

"What kind of surprise?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. Normally he hated surprises.

"I'm throwing a Halloween party!" She explained. "And you just have to come! I'm certain you'll love it."

"I don't go to parties unless I intend to kidnap or kill." He refused, breaking out of her hold and moving to sit in his chair.

"Please puddin?" She begged. "I've planned this especially for you. You don't have to stay long, and it will be a costume party so you won't have to try and blend in or anything. Please?"

Normally he would flat-out refuse and get angry with her for even pressing the issue. But he had been rather moody with Harley lately and felt almost guilty about it. So if making a small appearance at this party of hers would make her happy, then he would do it.

"Ok." He relented. "But I'm warning you that I'm not going to stay for long."

"That's fine!" She practically bounced with joy, running over and kissing his cheek. "Oh this is going to be the best party ever. You'll see. You'll love it!"

"I'm sure I will." He grumbled.

"I have to go plan some more party-related things!" She announced before leaving the office.

When she was gone, he sighed and put his head on his desk. He hated parties, except for the ones Bruce throws. He loved crashing those parties.

* * *

Alfred came into Bruce's room with dinner that night, noting that he looked upset. "Is something wrong, Master Wayne?" He asked, setting the tray down.

"Have you heard from Lacy today?" Bruce asked.

"Why yes." Alfred nodded. "She called a little over an hour ago. Why?"

"She hasn't been answering any of my calls." Bruce sighed.

Alfred was aware of what was going on. Lacy had filled him in on everything on the phone.

"_Alfred, hey. It's Lacy." _

"_How are you today?" He asked cheerfully._

"_Fine." She answered. "And you? Have you encountered any problems?" _

"_No." He replied. "It's been extremely quiet here today." _

"_Good." She sighed. "How is Bruce doing?" _

"_Same I think." Alfred explained. "Dr. Troy says the swelling is still going down a little at a time. Would you like me to give him the phone so you can talk to him?" _

"_No." She said adamantly. "We're not really talking right now." _

_Alfred couldn't help but laugh. "And why not, if you don't mind me asking?" _

"_He said some things that I realize were said out of concern for me and my welfare, but they were still hurtful and I think its best right now if I don't speak to him. If I do, I'm probably going to say something I regret and that won't help either of us." She explained. _

"_What did he say that was so bad?" Alfred wondered out-loud. _

"_He basically told me that I was going to fail miserably and would end up dead because he wouldn't be able to get out of bed and save me this time." She laughed bitterly. _

"_He has absolutely no faith in me or my abilities at all. And I realize he's just basing it on the past, but it's not fair. I'm not the same person I was two years ago. I've changed. For better or worse, I'm a different person now. I'm stronger, I'm more confident, I'm more determined and focused on stopping the Joker."_

_She paused for a moment. "And yes, he's right. I may end up dead at the end of this. But this is my life and I am going to be the one in control of it now." _

"_I'm sure he didn't mean it to sound like he doesn't have any faith in you." Alfred assured her. _

"_Maybe, maybe not." She sighed. "But it's complicated and I can't afford to be distracted right now. Everything in my plan is starting to snowball now and things are getting intensified. I can't deal with this too. So from now on I'm just going to check in with you everyday and monitor Bruce's progress that way." _

"_He's not going to like this." He warned. _

"_Probably not." She agreed. "But it's the way it has to be right now." _

"She's mad at me." Bruce continued, bringing Alfred out of his reflections. "I said some things I shouldn't have and now she's mad and ignoring me. I've left her about a dozen voicemails today and haven't gotten a call back."

"She is busy, sir." Alfred pointed out.

"But she had time to call you." Bruce countered. "I don't mean to sound conceited, but did she say anything about me on the phone?"

"She mentioned that you two had a disagreement of sorts and that she wasn't talking to you. She's hurt by what you said and her way of dealing with it right now is to ignore it." Alfred reported.

"Great." Bruce grumbled.

* * *

Crane sat in the back of the van, watching the guys around him. He had been lying on his bed tonight, minding his own business, when a bunch of guys broke into his cell and told him to come with them. He didn't know who they were or who had sent them, but decided to go along with their plan because it meant freedom.

He was glad to be out of Arkham. He had been cooped up in that cell for too long. Now he wanted to know who had been the one to get him out. He knew it wasn't the Joker because he wouldn't have broken him out of Arkham—he would have killed him in his cell.

So that left few options. It couldn't be Batman because there was no reason for Batman to want him running around freely. It couldn't be the police because they were still intent on keeping him locked up forever to cover the fact that they faked his death. So who could it be?

He had tried asking the men who helped him escape but they were less than forthcoming. All he had gotten out of them was that they were going to a safe house and he would be able to get answers then.

He supposed that he could wait a little while longer to find out who to thank for his newly found freedom. He was jolted back to reality by the sudden stopping of the van.

"Get out." One of the guys told him, motioning to the door.

He crawled out the back of the van and found himself being pushed towards the door of the house they were in front of. He turned the knob and found it was unlocked. So he opened the door and walked inside, going for the living room.

Within moments, he saw a figure enter with a glass in their hand. He looked at her carefully before starting to laugh. "Well, well, well." He said in between laughs. "I certainly didn't expect to see you here."


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Sorry for not posting an update yesterday. Time got away from me. Anyway, I know I said that this sequel would only be about twenty chapters but seeing as how this is chapter 20 and I'm not even close to the end of the story, I retract that statement. Hope that doesn't bother anyone! Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty

"Well, well, well." Crane said in between laughs. "I certainly didn't expect to see you alive—yet alone here."

"Sorry if I disappoint." Lacy laughed, settling into a large chair. She looked towards the guys who had helped with Crane's escape. "Leave us now, but stay close by and keep watch around the house."

Crane watched with interest as the guys wordlessly left the room, obeying her orders. He wondered how she managed to become in command of others. Obviously this wasn't the same Lacy he saw that day in the police station. That Lacy seemed so out of it and lost. This one seemed confident and in control.

"The last I heard, you were dead because of the Joker."

"Yes, he did try to kill me." She acknowledged.

"Did the police fake your death too?" He asked, curious about how she ended up here.

"Yes." She nodded.

"So, how did you end up here and with henchmen?" He wondered out-loud. "Are you working for the Joker even after everything I heard he did to you?"

She laughed heartily as she said, "no, no, no. No, God no. No, no no, no way. No."

"One no would have sufficed." He told her, sitting on the couch next to her chair.

"I just…it's just a ridiculous question." She laughed. "After everything he's done to me, why would I work for him?"

"It's been my experience through study and observation that women usually have a hard time letting go of someone they love—even if they have abused them." He told her.

"Well doc, hate to contradict what you think you know but I have no trouble separating from him." She told him. "In fact, I'm doing the opposite. I'm plotting his demise."

It was his turn to laugh now. "You plan on killing the Joker?"

"Yes." She sighed. "And I'm really getting tired of people laughing when I say that. But you all will see that you're wrong."

"I'm not saying you can't do it. I have no idea whether or not you can because I barely know you. I only laugh because I think you are being naïve. I doubt you realize how difficult your task really is" He explained. "So if you aren't working for the Joker, then who do the henchmen belong to?"

"A friend." She said, not wanting to give too much away. Now wasn't the time to expose her alliance with Vincent Maroni—especially to Crane. She still wasn't sure she could trust him. She had a feeling that he would try to escape the first chance he got.

"I can't help but wonder why you and your friend would go to all the trouble of breaking me out of Arkham." He observed. "It must have been difficult to plan considering I was being held in the high-security wing."

She didn't comment on how easy it really was to plan the escape because of Harley's knowledge. Instead she focused on answering his quandary. "I helped you for selfish reasons. I need something from you."

He smiled. "And just what would that be?"

She pulled a folded piece of paper from her bra and handed it to him. "I think this paper should answer any questions you have."

He took the paper and, after unfolding it, examined it carefully. After several minutes, he looked back up at her. "You really want me to do this?"

"Yes, and I expect that you will without causing any problems." She told him.

"Why should I help you with this?" He questioned.

"Because if you don't I'll pick up the phone right now and tell the Joker exactly where you are. I think he might be interested in the fact that you aren't as dead as he thought you were." She answered calmly. "I'm sure he would be extremely interested in knowing your location."

He didn't want the Joker to know he was still alive because then he might try to kill him and finish the job he started two years ago. He realized that for now he had no other choice but to agree to Lacy's demands and sighed. This wouldn't be so bad. At least he was out of Arkham. "Ok. I'll do it."

"Good." She smiled. "You will be watched by these men at all times. They have been given orders to shoot you if you act out of line or try to escape. So I wouldn't bother unless you have a death wish."

"And I definitely don't." He assured her.

"That's very wise of you." She complimented. "Make a list of everything you will need and give it to one of the guys. They will get you all of your supplies. Then start working. I need this stuff in a couple of days."

"That's not a lot of time." He shook his head.

"I have faith in you and your skills." She told him, standing up and heading to the door. "Make it work. I'll be back to check in on you later."

Crane took another look at the paper she had given him. If he was going to accomplish this, he would need to start working immediately.

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" Officer Locke asked as he stood in the Commissioner's doorway.

"Yes, Locke, come in and close the door." Gordon replied with a sigh.

"What's up?" Locke asked as he sat in a chair across from Gordon's desk.

"Have we been able to find anything out about the person who called in the tip about the Ace Consulting building?" Gordon asked.

"No." Locke shook his head. "Our guys have been over and over the tape hundreds of times already and they can't find any clues as to who it was or where the phone call came from. Whoever did it was very careful and doesn't want to be found out. Do you think it could be Batman?"

"No." Gordon shook his head. "He wouldn't tip us off like that. He would just go after the Joker himself and call us in afterwards."

"So then we're back to square one again." Locke observed.

"It seems that way." Gordon agreed.

I guess the question remains who would have done it." Locke stated.

"I think we might have another vigilante trying to make a name for themselves. Gordon mused.

"It wouldn't surprise me too much if we have another one sprouting up. The people in this city are tired of the Joker and want him stopped. But who would be bold enough to double-cross the Joker? I mean, it seems to me that the caller had to be someone within the Joker's own organization."

"I agree." Gordon nodded. He was about to say something else when his phone rang. "Commissioner Gordon." He answered. "What?...How did that happen?...I thought he was supposed to be in a high-security area…How long ago?...I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Locke asked, not liking the look on Gordon's face.

"Jonathon Crane has escaped from Arkham." Gordon told him.

"Oh man." Locke sighed. "This isn't good. How are we going to handle this?"

"I'm not sure yet." Gordon shook his head. "We can't alert the public because then we would have to admit that we faked his death to begin with. But we can't just sweep this under the rug either because now he's out there and free to do whatever he wants."

"This is a mess." Locke sighed.

"Yes." Gordon agreed. "We have to get to Arkham and investigate this but I don't think we can do it alone. I'm already swamped with trying to recapture the Joker. I'm getting a lot of heat from the D.A.'s office as well as the Mayor's office about it, and when you add the fact that we might have another vigilante running around, I think we need to bring someone else in to help with Crane."

Locke thought about it for a moment and found he had to agree. There was no way they could find Crane by themselves. Gordon would have to continue trailing the Joker, which means he would have to try and track down Crane by himself. It wasn't that he felt he couldn't do it by himself, but it would be easier and more efficient if he had someone to work with. "Who do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure." Gordon shook his head. "We need someone we can trust. Any suggestions?"

Almost as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Gordon yelled.

"I have the report on the…oh sorry. I didn't know you were busy." Officer Sullivan stopped when he saw that the Commissioner had Locke in his office. "I can come back later if you want."

"No." Gordon shook his head and waved Sullivan into the office. "Come in and shut the door."

"Ok." Sullivan hesitantly replied, closing the door. He looked at Gordon and then at Locke. They had weird looks on their faces. "Is something wrong?"

"There's something we need to talk about, but it's a very important secret and you can't discuss it with anyone outside of this room." Gordon started. "Can we trust you to keep this secret?"

"Of course." Sullivan nodded, realizing that there was a fifty-fifty chance that he wouldn't tell this secret.

"Two years ago, when Dr. Crane was shot on the street…"

* * *

The Joker paced around his office. He had his men surrounding Wayne's penthouse all day and no one could find any trace of Lacy. He pulled the note out of his pocket and looked at it again. It had to be from her. She was the only one who would know that leaving that song lyric would disturb him.

But she was dead, or at least should be dead. The newspapers had reported her death. The police had buried her and the city had cheered in response.

The thought had crossed her mind that the police could have faked her death, making the public and him think she was dead when in reality she was alive and well. But why would the police do that? And why would she be dumb enough to let him know that she was still alive?

Didn't he know that he would simply come after her and kill her properly this time?

While it was true that he had often regretted killing her and had wished at times that she was still alive, the practical part of his brain told him that having her in his life would only end badly for everyone. She didn't approve of what he did for a living, unlike Harley. Besides that, she wasn't tough enough to handle his life.

If she was still alive, he would remedy that quickly.

He was brought out of his ruminations by the phone. "What?" He greeted.

"Hey, it's Sullivan."

"What do you want?" The Joker asked.

"I thought you might like some information. I just learned something very interesting today." Sullivan bragged.

"What did you learn?" He asked, intrigued.

"It seems like your least favorite doctor is still alive. Gordon faked Dr. Crane's death two years ago." Sullivan replied.

"Oh really?" The Joker laughed. "Interesting."

"Oh, and there's more." Sullivan added. "Seems they hid him away in the high-security wing of Arkham, not too far away from where they held you."

"Well that is interesting news." The Joker said.

"And I'm not even finished yet." Sullivan laughed. "Tonight someone orchestrated an escape for the evil doctor using some of the same techniques used in your escape."

"Really." His eyes narrowed at that news. Someone had used the same plan to get Crane out. He could think of only think of a few people who would have the knowledge to facilitate that. One of them was Harley.

"So now Crane is running around somewhere in Gotham. Thought you might want to know." Sullivan said before hanging up.

"This is very interesting." The Joker said. It would be a very odd coincidence for someone to come up with their own plan to break Crane out of Arkham that mirrored his own escape only days previous.

He didn't want to think that Harley could be working against him in some way, but the facts remained. Why she would want to get Crane out of Arkham? And how would she get the man power to actually implement her plan?

He would deal with the possibility of Harley betraying him later. Right now he had to get his men out there looking for Crane. They had some unfinished business to take care of.


	21. Chapter 21

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

Sorry again for the lack of update yesterday. Extra stress, decreased sleep and loss of free time all contributed. But hopefully I can get back to my normal posting schedule in a few days. Thanks for your patience and enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-One

The Joker wasn't happy, and if he wasn't happy, then the people around him weren't happy either. They couldn't be, or else they would find themselves in an eternal sleep.

Three days had passed. Three whole days and he still hadn't found Lacy or Crane. He wasn't sure who he was more frustrated about not being able to find.

He still couldn't believe that Crane was alive. Actually he could believe it. He just didn't want to. He had been too happy when he thought Crane was dead. Now that he knew Crane was still alive, he realized that they had unfinished business. Apparently the police were busy two years ago with faking both Crane and Lacy's deaths—if Lacy was still alive.

But the mysteries surrounding Lacy and Crane weren't the only thing bothering him. Whoever sabotaged his attempt to bomb the Ace Consulting building had been toying with him for the past few days. Somehow, the person knew what he was planning and managed to get the police to prevent his crimes.

He had tried to bomb a church and found the police there. He tried to rob a bank and the police were there. He then tried to do something spontaneously but the police were there too. It was maddening. The person tipping off the police had to be someone within his organization, but he couldn't figure out who it was.

He thought about just killing everyone of his men and starting over but decided that may be too drastic. He would save that course of action as a last resort.

It had gotten so bad that the public was starting to make fun of him. He picked up today's newspaper and in the editorial section there was an anonymous letter. He fumed as he read it for the seventh time.

_Dear citizens of Gotham,_

_Well, it looks like we don't need to be so concerned about the Joker anymore! Although the police have yet to catch him, there have been no attacks on the city since the deadly apartment fire and bombing in the Wayne Enterprises parking lot. _

_There have been several reports over the past few days of anonymous calls being placed with the police, possibly tipping them off about the Joker's plans. So far, if that is the case, the police have managed to save countless lives and prevent the costly destruction of buildings. _

_The fact that the Joker has effectively been silenced makes me eternally grateful to whoever is helping the police. Hopefully soon the police will be able to catch the Joker and put him where he belongs—back in Arkham. _

_He may not be laughing about the police ruining his plans, but I am and I'm sure I'm not the only one in this city. _

He couldn't believe it. They were laughing at him. The people of Gotham were thoroughly enjoying the fact that someone was messing with is plans. It was maddening and only made him angrier. If he knew who had sent in the letter to the newspaper he would make them pay, but, like man things in his life right now, he had no idea who it was who wrote the letter.

He was losing control of things and didn't like it. He couldn't control the people of Gotham, he couldn't control the police, and he couldn't even control his own men. If he didn't get control back soon he feared what he would do.

* * *

Lacy entered the safe house where Crane was being held and saw he was sitting on the couch watching television. "You're watching television?" She questioned. "Are you done with your work already?"

"No mother." Crane sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes. "But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

She sat down on the opposite side of the couch from him, ignoring his sarcasm. "So what is your progress? Are you almost done making what I asked?"

"Yes." He replied without taking his eyes off the television. "But you know, I am very upset. I could make you something ten times more destructive and powerful than what you asked yet you insult me by reducing my genius down to basically nothing. Are you sure I can't add something special to the mix?"

"For the last time, no. If you do, I will kill you in a very slow, torturous way." She promised. The last thing she needed was Crane to go rogue and ruin her plans. Everything had to be done exactly as she wanted in order for things to go the way she wanted.

"Ok." He sighed, defeated. Her request was beneath him. Anyone with a basic knowledge could do what she wanted. Bringing him in to do this job was overkill.

"What are you watching?" She asked, finally bringing her attention to the television.

"It's a report on the Joker." Crane smiled at her. "Apparently someone has been alerting the police to his plans, preventing him from committing any crimes for the past few days."

"Interesting." Lacy commented, staring at the television. She wasn't sure she could trust Crane and decided to pretend that she had nothing to do with it.

"You wouldn't happen to know more about it, would you?" He asked with great interest.

"Why would I know anything about it?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Perhaps because it is your mission to destroy him." He pointed out.

"I've had nothing to do with this." She motioned towards the television.

He simply laughed. "Ok. I get it. You don't want to trust me. That's fine."

She turned her attention back to the television, reaching for the remote and turning the sound up.

_Although the police haven't been able to track down the informant helping them, they certainly must be grateful that a Gotham citizen is standing up against the Joker. Many other Gotham citizens we have talked to on the street have had nothing but praise for the mystery person. _

_Those citizens did not wish to appear on camera but one man said that he "was proud to see that a person was finally standing up to the Joker and trying to make him see that we as a city are mad as hell about the terror he's caused and we're not going to take it anymore." _

_Another man added that the Joker "has ruled this city with fear and violence for far too long. It's nice to see him knocked down a peg or two. Now all that is left is for the police to recapture him." _

_We then talked to a woman who told us she was "happy to see that the Joker was getting what he deserved. Maybe now he will get the message that we don't want him in our city anymore and that we're not afraid of him. He's just a big bully." _

_So as you can imagine the general mood on the streets here is that the Joker's days of terrorizing the city may be numbered. I'm Misty Sunrise for GCN, back to you in the studio Mike._

"So it looks like your little plan that you won't admit to me is working." Crane chuckled. "Kudos."

She didn't say anything to him as she stood up and headed to the door. Before she left though, she turned around to face him. "Just make sure everything is ready for tomorrow. Focus on that and not the television."

"Everything will be ready on time." He assured her.

"It better be, for your sake." She warned before walking out the door.

* * *

Harley entered the house and quietly shut the door, careful not to alert Mistah J to her entrance. For the past few days he had been in a really bad mood. Everyone had to watch their step around him and she was no exception.

She had no idea why he was in such a foul mood because he refused to talk to her about it. She had asked him several times what was bothering him, but eventually gave up because each time she asked him all she got in response was a burly 'nothing'.

So instead of spending all her time trying to cajole the truth out of him, she focused on her own plan. Things were going fairly smoothly, primarily thanks to Angela and her help. Angela had been instrumental in helping her plan and organize everything.

The costume party was set for Halloween night and she was busy making sure that everything was taken care of since Halloween was tomorrow. Advertisements had been passed out and the word was out about the party. Decorations and food had been ordered.

Angela had been taking care of some of the other details for her. She had found the warehouse they would use for the stunt, as well as giving her contacts for everything else she needed.

Hopefully a lot of people showed up because the more people who come, the more chaos she will cause. Her original goal with this was to prove to Mistah J that she could be a part of his life and fit in. Now she also wanted to do this in order to make him happy and get him out of his funk.

She entered the kitchen, hungry and wanting something to eat. She opened the refrigerator and bent down to grab a thing of yogurt. When she closed the refrigerator, she found herself face to face with Mistah J. "Ooh! You scared me. I wasn't expecting you to be standing there." She exclaimed.

He didn't apologize, just grunted softly and leaned up against the counter.

"Want anything?" She offered. "I could make you some food if you're hungry."

"No thanks, I've eaten your concoctions and I think calling it food is generous." He sneered.

She sighed. He was right. She wasn't a very good cook, usually finding a way to mess up even the simplest of meals. For some reason she even ended up ruining boxed macaroni and cheese. It wasn't because she didn't try though. She just didn't have the ability to cook.

"So what are you up to today?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him.

"Just getting ready for the party tomorrow night." She answered with a smile. "You are still coming, right?"

"Do I have to?" He asked her.

She couldn't help but laugh. He was whining like a little child. "You promised you would."

"Damn." He sighed. "And I'm a man of my word. So I guess I'll be there."

"Excellent!" She beamed with pride as she leaned in to kiss him. When they finally pulled away from each other she said, "I think this is one party you're never going to forget."

He was curious about why she was so insistent upon throwing this party and having him come. She had told him about her past and he knew that she wasn't one of those women who constantly needed to go out and party. She was the type to stay in on Saturday nights.

So the fact that she wanted to do something contrary to her past behavior threw up red flags to him and he decided that perhaps he needed to check out what she was doing.

The thought had occurred to him on several occasions that she was the one somehow setting him up, making him believe that Lacy was alive and then ratting him out to the police in order to prevent him from causing any more damage to the city.

Some parts of his theory made sense, while others didn't fit. She definitely had the opportunity and knowledge to rat him out to the police and she had the opportunity to leave the box that supposedly came from Lacy. But why would she?

She was completely enamored with him, all he had to do was look into her eyes and see that she was his for the taking. So why would she want to sabotage him and potentially send him back to jail or Arkham? She had been the one to help him break out in the first place. Logic would tell him that she would be the least likely to conspire to get him put back there but he had learned early on not to rely solely on logic.

So she was still a suspect.


	22. Chapter 22

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: The next couple of chapters have some good stuff coming up, including the Halloween party and a face to face meeting between Lacy and the Joker. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Two

Vincent entered his office, smiling when he saw Lacy waiting for him. "And to what do I owe the honor of this visit today?" She had been coming by everyday. He would come into his office and find her there waiting for him. It was a nice routine they had going.

"I just came by to check on things and find out how my plans are progressing." Lacy explained.

"Drink?" He offered, pouring himself one.

"Not today." She shook her head. "Tomorrow is a big day. A lot of things will be happening."

"Everything on my end is ready." Vincent told her as he went to sit behind his desk. "The warehouse is prepped with everything you asked for."

"Good." Lacy smiled with a sigh.

"So you know that the warehouse is ready, but are you ready for tomorrow?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?" She shrugged. "Of course I am ready. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "You just look nervous."

"Well I'm not." She lied. The truth was that she was kind of nervous. It was one thing to plan something like this but quite another to actually go through with it. There were so many variables in her plan and so many things that could easily go wrong, resulting in potential disaster. One wrong move and things could all unravel.

Then there was the Joker factor. Harley had mentioned that the Joker was going to be there at the party. While that was what Lacy wanted, she couldn't help but be slightly nervous about the confrontation.

It has been two years since she last saw her husband and the last time they were together was not a happy time. Well, for him it was. He enjoyed his attempts on her life more than she did and soon it would be her turn.

She wished she knew exactly what he was thinking right now. She had talked with Harley earlier in the day and only found out that he was distracted and angry. That was a good start, though she wanted him to also be emotionally tortured and helpless. But everyone has to start somewhere.

After tomorrow night, he would hopefully be more emotionally tortured.

"It would be completely natural and normal for you to be worried or nervous." He assured her. "There have even been times I have been nervous before a big job."

"Well that's good to hear in case I start to get nervous." She continued on with her charade.

He laughed. "You still won't admit to me that you are nervous? I'm insulted. I thought we were friends."

"We're not friends." She corrected him. "We're business partners in a joint deal. That's all."

"After this deal is over with, we'll be more than business partners." He reminded her of their deal.

"I know." She nodded, realizing that he was referring to his stipulation of getting to sleep with her once the Joker was dead. What he didn't know was that she had absolutely no intention of sleeping with him.

She was about to say something else to him when her phone rang. "Excuse me." She told him, getting up and looking at the phone. The caller id said it was Alfred and she knew he wouldn't be calling her unless it was important. "I have to take this." She told Vincent as she walked over to the corner of the room farthest away from him.

"Hello?" She greeted in a hushed tone. "Is something wrong?"

"I was wondering if you could come over." Alfred told her.

"Why?" She asked. "Did something happen?"

"I'm afraid that Master Wayne has developed a rather severe infection from the surgery. He's in bad shape right now." Alfred explained. "He's been asking for you and I think it would help if you came by and visited. If you are still worried about being seen, I can give you directions on how to get in using the secret entrance."

She thought about it and decided that if he needed her she needed to put aside her own feelings and help him. God knows he's come through for her when she needed him. "Ok. I'm in a meeting right now but I will call you back in a few minutes."

"I will talk to you then." Alfred said before hanging up.

"Something the matter?" Vincent asked when she came back.

"I actually have to go. There's something that needs my immediate attention. I'm glad that everything is ready for tomorrow. Thank you for your help."

"It's my pleasure, I assure you." He smiled. "We'll talk later."

"Yes, I'm sure we will." She gave him a small smile before leaving the room.

* * *

The Joker paced around his office for the seventh time today. No matter what he did he couldn't get his mind off of Lacy and the possibility of her being alive. The fact that the police faked Crane's death only gave him more reason to believe that there was a good chance she was still alive.

But what were his thoughts on it?

If she really was still alive he would obviously have to kill her and make it stick this time. No matter what his feelings may be toward her, he couldn't afford to have her running around. She knew too much about him and his organization, and since he tired to kill her the last time they saw each other, he was quite certain she wouldn't want to keep all that info quiet.

Plus, he was over her. He had Harley now and she would replace Lacy.

He laughed softly at that thought. There was no way Harley would ever be able to replace Lacy. She was one of a kind. It was what made him fall in love with her when they were children. There was a time where she had been his reason, his purpose for getting up in the morning.

He made a disgusted face, deciding that he needed to stop thinking about her like that. Just because he may still harbor feelings for her doesn't change the fact that, if she is still alive, she can't be allowed to roam freely. It would be a disaster if she went to one of the mob families and told them everything she knew. Or she could go to the police. Or even to Bruce, though he wasn't too worried about Batman since no one has seen him since the shooting.

She would be too dangerous alive, not only to his criminal activities but to his personal activities as well.

He sighed. This was all premature anyway. There was no concrete proof to convince him that Lacy was still alive. All the proof he had was circumstantial and he decided to stop obsessing over it until there was actual proof about her existence.

It sounded good in theory but he doubted he would be able to do it.

* * *

Alfred waited by the door to the secret entrance, smiling when he saw Lacy emerge. "It's good to see you." He greeted.

"You too," she told him, "though I wish it was under better circumstances. How is he doing?"

"He's in and out of consciousness. The fever is really taking a toll on him." Alfred explained.

"What happened?" She asked. "When I called yesterday you said he was doing fine."

"Actually, I sort of lied. He didn't want you to know about it and worry so I kept quiet." Alfred confessed.

"How long has this been going on?" She wondered out-loud.

"A couple of days." Alfred replied. "Master Wayne started having terrible pain and swelling. Dr. Troy ran blood tests and cultures to confirm that it is a case of acute Osteomyelitis."

"That sounds serious." She noted.

"It is a type of bacterial infection which presents itself in the bone. He's been on several antibiotics the past few days but nothing seems to be helping. His fever has been spiking and causing him to occasionally lose consciousness. He has been calling out for you." He led Lacy back to Bruce's room, and soon they were standing outside in the hallway. "Just between the two of us, he has really missed you."

She gave Alfred a sad smile. "I've missed him too."

"I'll give you two some time." He excused himself.

Lacy took a deep breath and went inside, not prepared for what she saw. He looked worse now than when he got out of surgery. He was extremely pale and damp with sweat. His eyes were closed and she wondered if he was sleeping. If so, she didn't want to wake him. She turned to leave when she heard a quiet voice.

"Hey."

She turned back and saw he was looking at her. "Hey."

"You came back." He said.

"I heard you weren't feeling well so I decided to pop in and say hi." She explained.

"Well hi." He smiled.

"Hi." She smiled back. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible." He closed his eyes for a moment. "My back hurts and is swollen, I have an insanely high fever, the few times I have been able to sleep I keep having dreams about being the Queen of England, and I've had some pretty real delusions. I think this might be one of them."

"It's not." She shook her head and took his hand in hers. "It's real."

"Well that's good to know." He sighed.

She noticed a bowl of water and a towel lying near his bed and brought it over. She then dipped the towel in the water and rang it out before resting it on his forehead in an attempt to cool him down.

He moaned softly as the cold towel hit his skin. "Thanks."

"No problem." She smiled. "So you've been having dreams where you are the Queen of England?" She was intrigued by that and couldn't help but laugh.

"They are very weird dreams." He sighed.

"I'm sure they are." She laughed again.

"Look, Lacy, I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize." She cut him off. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you the other day. You were only telling the truth and I shouldn't have taken it so badly. I guess it was just easier to get mad at you for that than to realize that you had a point."

She sighed before continuing. "Although it was never my intention, I have relied on you to save me far too many times. But I need you to understand that I don't need you to save me this time."

"That's going to be hard for me because I don't want to see you get hurt again, especially because of him."

"I appreciate your concern but I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself." She had been thinking about the last time she came in to talk to Bruce a lot and realized that she wasn't mad at what he had said. She had been hurt by the way he said it, but he was telling the truth. Without him there to swoop in at the last moment, there was a very good chance that she would end up dead by the end of this whole thing.

But she wasn't mad at him. She realized that it was just easier to be mad at him because it made her job easier. If she was mad at him she didn't have to worry about any entanglements. She thought that it might be easier to conduct her plans without having any attachments in this world. Now though, she realized that she was wrong.

"Let's just forget about what happened, ok?" She offered.

"Sounds good to me." He replied as he started to drift off to sleep.

Once she was certain that he had fallen asleep she ran her hand through his hair and quietly made her way out of his room. She entered the kitchen, spying Alfred cooking. "He's asleep right now."

"Good. Sleep will help him." Alfred smiled. "Can I get you to stay for dinner?"

She looked at her watch. "I guess I could stay a little while longer."

"Good." He nodded. "You know, I have been watching the news lately."

"Anything good happening?" She asked, knowing what he was going to ask about.

"Actually, yes. It seems the police have a new informant inside the Joker's organization who is helping them stop his attacks." Alfred said.

"That's wonderful." Lacy smiled.

"Yes. I don't suppose you know who this informant is?" He questioned. He didn't expect her to actually tell him anything, but it never hurt to try.

"You know I can't tell you that," she informed him, "even if I did know who it was—which I don't."

"Sure you don't, and Master Wayne really is the Queen of England." Alfred joked.


	23. Chapter 23

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three

Lacy entered the warehouse the next day and found Harley standing in the middle of the open space, looking around aimlessly. "Hey." She greeted, causing Harley to look over her way.

"Hey Angela!" Harley greeted back excitedly, hurrying over to her friend.

"The party doesn't start for another two hours. What are you doing here?" Lacy asked.

"I was just looking around and making sure that everything is set." Harley explained.

Lacy laughed. "I guess we think alike because I came here for the same reason."

Harley joined in the laughter. "You know, I am actually kind of nervous about this."

"Don't be." Lacy assured her. "Everything will work out perfectly. Nothing can go wrong with all the planning you have done."

"I'm not worried about anything going wrong, per se." Harley explained. "I'm worried I won't be able to go through with this. There are going to be innocent people coming here to party and then I'm supposed to kill them? I don't know if I can do it. It's one thing to talk about it but it's another thing to actually do it."

"Well it's completely your choice." Lacy told her. She realized she would probably have to give Harley a pep talk about this and already had one ready. "But just think about this. From what you've told me about the Joker, he needs someone in his life that can fit in with what he does and who he is. Isn't that a large part of why his marriage didn't work out?"

"Yeah." Harley nodded. "She didn't understand him nearly as much as I do."

Lacy ignored that false comment so that she didn't reveal her true identity because if she had responded Harley would figure out who she was. "Well then tonight you have to make a choice. Either you go through with this plan and make the Joker happy, which is something that it sounds like he needs right now from what you've told me. Or you can chicken out and take your chances with him."

She let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "Maybe he won't kick you to the curb if he thinks you can't be what he needs. Maybe he will be able look past that. Or maybe he will throw you away like yesterday's garbage. Honestly, it's anybody's guess what he will do."

"I'm being silly, aren't I?" Harley giggled. "I don't know what I was thinking. I love Mistah J and if this is the type of thing I have to do to be in his world with him, then I'll have to suck it up and do it."

"Good girl." Lacy praised. "Now why don't you go get ready for the party and I'll double check everything here?"

"Sounds good." Harley smiled. "You will be here later, right?"

"Of course." Lacy grinned. "I wouldn't miss this party. Nothing can keep me away tonight."

"Wonderful!" Harley exclaimed. "I don't know what I would have done without your help with all of this. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't sell yourself short." Lacy encouraged. "You don't give yourself enough credit."

Harley started to blush at the praise. "I can't wait for you to meet Mistah J. He should be here sometime tonight before the real fun starts. I think you two will get along wonderfully, at least I hope so. He hasn't been very talkative lately so don't take offense if he doesn't have a lot to say."

"I'm sure we'll find plenty to talk about." Lacy smiled.

"Well I guess I'll go get my costume together." Harley announced, starting to walk away.

"See you later!" Lacy called after Harley as she practically bounced out of the warehouse. After she was sure Harley was gone, the smile left her face. Tonight was definitely going to be interesting.

* * *

"What do you think?" Harley asked the Joker as she twirled around. She came into his office to show him her outfit. She was dressed as a female version of him, complete with the makeup, outfit and green wig.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He growled.

"It's my costume for the party tonight." She announced proudly. "I'm going as you, only what you would look like as a woman."

"Why?" He questioned, not understanding why she would dress like him. It was maddening and he wasn't sure he liked it—though she did do a good job of applying the makeup and the short, tight pants were nice.

"Because I thought it was a cute idea and that you would like it." She replied, finally realizing that he wasn't happy with her idea. "You don't like it?"

"Why couldn't you dress up like a sexy flight attendant or a sexy nurse?" He asked, his mind imagining those thoughts.

"You don't think this is sexy?" She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Trust me, I can make this sexy."

"Ok. I'm intrigued." He smiled. "How will you make this sexy?"

"Come to the party and I'll show you." She told him, moving away from him. "You will come, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I'll be there in a couple of hours."

"Good, cause I have some plans for tonight and they wouldn't be the same without you there." She smiled. "I'll see you later."

He watched her leave, wondering what kind of plans she had for tonight. For the first time since she announced her plan for a party he was actually glad to be going. Perhaps the party would help him focus on something other than finding Lacy and Crane for awhile.

He wasn't so much worried about Crane. Crane would turn up eventually and then he would be dealt with. It was Lacy who kept him up at night, it was Lacy who infiltrated all of his thoughts, and it was Lacy who he thought about while servicing himself earlier.

That damn woman was all he has thought about, even more so today. He had decided that if she wasn't alive and this was all a hoax, he would gather up as many women in this city who looked like her and kill all of them. Maybe that would help him get rid of his angst and get her out of his system for good. She was like a bad hangover that lasted forever and it was starting to get old.

So even though he hated parties, he was actually looking forward to this one now. Perhaps he could get a few moments of peace from Lacy.

* * *

When Lacy got back to the warehouse a couple of hours after leaving she saw that the party was in full swing. The whole warehouse was jammed packed with what she estimated as hundreds of people, all dancing, eating and drinking. They were completely oblivious to the fact that they were all pawns in her game of chess with the Joker.

She roamed around aimlessly, looking for Harley but realizing it would be difficult to find her in these crowds, especially since it was a costume party. After searching for at least twenty minutes she finally found her standing by the punch bowl.

"Hey!" Harley greeted with a huge smile. "I love your costume!"

"Thanks." Lacy smiled back.

"But what are you supposed to be?" Harley asked. It was a cute outfit. She had on a light teal, low cut shirt with a matching short skirt and boots.

"A sexy flight attendant." Lacy explained, pointing to the pair of airplane wings on her shirt. She didn't think her outfit was that abstract but knew that Harley sometimes acted like she was one fry short of a Happy Meal.

Harley couldn't help but feel defeated. A sexy flight attendant was the first thing that Mistah J suggested she dress up as. She knew it was childish but she couldn't help but be jealous of Lacy's costume. "Wow. Mistah J suggested I dress up as a sexy flight attendant. Isn't that funny?"

"Oh wow." She laughed. "That is funny!" It was actually no coincidence. She had chosen this outfit on purpose, remembering the Halloween when they were sixteen.

"_What are you dressing up as?" She asked him as she wrapped her arms around his waist and planted a kiss on his cheek. _

"_I was thinking about it and I thought that maybe I could be a pilot and then you could dress up as my very sexy, incredibly helpful flight attendant. What do you think about that?" He asked in a seductive tone. _

_She raised her eyebrow as she looked at him and giggled. "I don't know whether to kiss you or smack you for that idea." _

"_You can do both if you agree to it." He smirked. "Just think about it. You could wear a low cut shirt, some skimpy skirt and then knee-high boots." _

"_I don't know…" She trailed off. _

"_You'd look so hot." He cajoled. "Of course you would look hot no matter what you wear, but still…this would be incredibly hot." _

"_Why are you so insistent upon me dressing up like a flight attendant?" She asked. _

"_Because it would amuse me." He replied with a grin. "And it's not just a flight attendant. It's a sexy flight attendant." _

"_Oh excuse me!" She laughed. "That makes all the difference." _

"_So will you do it?" He asked. _

"_Maybe next year." She promised, leaning in to kiss him. Within a few moments, she pushed him backwards, making him fall on the nearby bed._

She didn't dress up in the sexy flight attendant uniform the next year. She had planned on it to make him happy but plans got sidetracked when she found out she was pregnant. It changed everything.

She shook the memories out of her head and focused on where she was. "Your outfit turned out nicely."

"Thanks." Harley replied, twirling around to give the full effect. "I really appreciate you helping me go shopping for it."

"No problem." Lacy nodded her head. "Is your man here yet?"

"I don't think so." Harley answered, looking around. "But it's sometimes hard to figure out since there are so many people dressed up like him."

"Who knew that he would be the most popular costume this year?" Lacy laughed.

"Yeah." Harley joined in the laughter. "There are more Mistah J's here than there are Batmans."

"Imagine that." Lacy commented. She wasn't sure why there were more people dressing up like the Joker than Batman, but maybe it was because the Joker's costume was easier to compile.

"Everything seems to be going really well." Harley noted. "I'm surprised by how many people have showed up."

"I am too." Lacy agreed. "But no one can resist a free party."

"That's true." Harley laughed.

"You know I was thinking that maybe one of us should triple-check and make sure that the canisters are in place." Lacy said.

"I can go do that if you want." Harley offered.

"Would you?" Lacy asked in a sing-song voice. "That would be wonderful! Thank you so much."

"Oh it's no problem!" Harley assured her. "Truthfully I am getting anxious standing around here waiting for everything to start and for Mistah J to arrive."

"Great." Lacy stated. She watched Harley walk through the crowds to the room where the gas canisters were held and started to follow her. She waited until Harley was inside the room before locking the door and propping a nearby chair up against the handle, effectively trapping Harley inside.

"Sorry Harley." Lacy whispered before smiling. "But you are going to have to stay there for now." Since Harley was going to be indisposed of for awhile, the real fun could begin.


	24. Chapter 24

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: This was a fun chapter to write and might be one of my favorites so far. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Four

Shortly after locking Harley in a room, Lacy emerged from another office dressed in the exact same outfit that Harley had been wearing. Though Harley didn't know it, the real reason she had gone with her to shop for her costume was so that she could know exactly what to buy to replicate the outfit.

It was all part of her plan.

She smiled as she looked in the mirror and saw that she looked pretty much exactly like Harley. She had even put on the clown makeup and green wig, effectively hiding her identity. She was lucky that she and Harley had similar facial bone structures. With the makeup on it was hard to distinguish the small differences. And although she was slightly taller than Harley she didn't foresee that being a problem.

Her height was the last thing that he would be focusing on. She would make sure of that.

Dale had called a few moments ago saying that the Joker was now at the party. That meant it was show time. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for the next phase of her plan. This part of her plan was risky and if she messed it up she knew she would be dead by the end of the night.

* * *

He walked around the crowd, searching for Harley. There were too many people here for his liking. He disliked being in large crowds, unless he was killing them all. Then he had no problem with them. But this was getting annoying.

He tried to get past a group of partygoers when two young women stood in front of him, blocking his exit.

"Oh my God!" The one on the left shrieked. "That is the greatest Joker costume I have ever seen! Tiffani, isn't that just the greatest?

"Oh yeah!" Tiffani agreed in a high-pitched voice. "Amber, that is the best one here."

"I wonder if they are going to have a costume contest. Because if they are, you will totally win." Amber told him.

"Oh yeah. Totally." Tiffani agreed.

"Where did you find such weird clothes?" Amber asked, linking her arm with the Joker's. "Cause those are, like, totally weird."

"Totally." Tiffani agreed.

He was beginning to regret coming here. These two were annoying him to no end. If he heard them say 'totally' one more time he would likely cut out their tongues and feed it to them. "Leave me alone." He growled at them. "Or else I will cut off your heads with a steak knife, and believe me, it will be a slow and painful death."

"You really have gotten into character." Amber noted.

"Yeah, but you need to chill out dude." Tiffani agreed. She looked over to Amber. "C'mon. Let's go."

He sighed in relief when they left his sight. But that wasn't the last of the gawkers. A college-aged couple came up to him seconds later.

"Dude! That is a sweet outfit!" The guy exclaimed. "I was going to go as the Joker too but this one," he pointed to the woman next to him, "wanted us to dress like a couple."

"So what are you two dressed as?" The Joker asked. "Cause to me you two look like a couple of jackasses who are about to get disemboweled if you don't leave my sight in three seconds."

"Someone's grumpy. Happy Halloween to you too." The woman grumbled as they scurried off.

He determined that he needed to find Harley, and soon before any more idiots came up to him. This was exactly why he didn't like parties. He didn't like having to deal with the idiots that live in this city. All they care about is partying and having a good time. There was no substance with any of them.

He was growing impatient and wondering if he was ever going to find Harley when the crowd parted slightly and he got a glimpse of her. He could tell it was her because of her outfit.

Lacy smiled as she approached him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Harleykins, you have perfect timing. I was getting so annoyed. All these people kept coming up to me complimenting me on my costume. Imagine what their reactions would be if they knew that I wasn't playing dress up!"

She didn't respond with words, instead nuzzling his neck playfully. A new song started blasting through the speakers and she moved her hips to the beat.

"What are you doing?" He chuckled.

She still didn't say anything, instead placing his hands on her hips and pulling herself closer to him so that she was now grinding up against him.

"Oh I see what you're doing." He chuckled again. "You're trying to prove to me that your outfit is as sexy as the flight attendant costume I suggested. Well, let's see what you've got."

She turned around so her backside was now grinding against him. She rolled her eyes as she felt the bulge in his pants start responding, feeling it poke her. But it was nice to know that she could still elicit that reaction from him—even if he did think she was Harley.

She briefly wondered if he had slept with Harley yet. Knowing him and his desire for sex, she guessed that he had. Surprisingly enough, that thought bothered her. She wasn't jealous of Harley, but didn't like the thought of someone else replacing her in his bed. It was silly and she knew it, but couldn't help her feelings.

She shook the images of those two having sex from her mind and focused again on what she was doing. She continued gyrating against him, letting him run his hands across her body. But when he got too close to her stomach she knew she had to get him to stop or else he would be able to feel her scars. That would ruin all the fun of this game.

So she turned back around again and threw her arms around his neck. Then she wrapped her right leg around his, effectively pulling herself as close as she could get to him and distracting him from his earlier roaming.

"Why Harley, I had no idea you were such an exhibitionist. You're being a very naughty girl. We're surrounded by people who are starting to watch us." He whispered in her ear. He wasn't used to Harley being this aggressive. Usually she was submissive and let him make the moves on her. That's how he liked things to be. But truthfully, this was kind of nice too.

Still, there was something familiar about this that he couldn't quite figure out. He shrugged and decided to just enjoy the show Harley was putting on for him.

"I know I said I wanted to wait awhile before we got physical, but you're quickly changing my mind." He whispered into her ear.

She tried to hide the surprise on her face from that statement. So they hadn't had sex yet? What was he waiting for? It intrigued her but she maintained her cover and got back to her mission.

He leaned in and started kissing her neck, nibbling and biting at the skin.

She realized that this part of her plan would require her to respond enthusiastically to whatever he did to her and she was prepared to fake some soft moaning. What she wasn't prepared for the real moaning that escaped her mouth when he started on her neck.

As soon as she heard herself moan she cringed on the inside. What he was doing actually felt good, and even though she hated him her body still betrayed her and wanted her to give in to him.

When he heard her moan he intensified his efforts. "You like that, don't you?"

She didn't respond, instead softly whimpered. She hated herself as soon as she heard the whimper. This wasn't part of her plan.

He pulled away from her neck and attacked her mouth, forcing his tongue into her mouth and exploring the area. His left hand had found a new home fondling her breast while his right hand was behind her head, holding her in place.

This was definitely not part of her plan. She realized that she needed to get out of here soon for her own sanity.

But unfortunately her body wasn't allowing her to pull away. She cursed herself. This was not a good thing. There was a big difference between putting on a show and pretending to be Harley and actually enjoying this. She was dangerously close to actually enjoying this and it disturbed her.

When she finally convinced her body to move, she pulled away, smiling at him and using her fingers to close his eyes.

He opened them back up. "You want me close my eyes?"

She just nodded and placed a soft kiss on his lips before closing his eyes for him again.

"What do you plan on doing with my eyes closed?" He asked.

She put a finger on his lips and made a sshhhh-ing noise. Then she moved around him, letting her hands roam freely on his body. She smacked his ass and then disappeared into the crowd, wondering how long he would stand there in the middle of the dance floor with his eyes closed, waiting for 'Harley' to do something else.

She hurried through the crowd, making sure that she wasn't being followed by him. She quickly ducked into the room where her other costume was and changed back into it. Taking off the makeup was tricky because she had to make sure that she got all traces of it off, but after a few minutes of scrubbing it all came off.

She examined her neck and saw that the skin was red in the places he had been biting, but there was no blood. After she took off the green wig she realized that her black hair would cover her neck and all traces of that. When she was pleased with her appearance, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

She was still upset about the level of enjoyment she felt while on the dance floor with him. But she had fulfilled her purpose and couldn't wait for the aftermath of her actions to begin.

First though, she had to go retrieve Harley from her time-out room. She left her room cautiously, making sure that no one was around before entering the hallway. Then she walked the short distance to the room Harley was in.

Careful not to make any noise, she moved the chair away from the door and unlocked the door. She calmly entered the room. "Harley? Are you in here?" Upon entering she saw Harley sitting against the wall in the corner.

Harley was hugging her knees to her chest, but when she saw Angela come into the room she sprang upright. "Oh thank God!" She exclaimed, running over and hugging her friend. "I thought I was going to be stuck in here forever!"

"I was starting to get worried about you." Angela lied. "You were stuck in here?"

"Yeah." Harley nodded. "The door locked."

"It must be one of those that lock from the outside because I didn't have any problems getting in." Angela reported.

"Oh." Harley shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. Did I miss much?"

"No." Lacy chuckled, thinking back to her dance with the Joker. "You didn't miss anything."


	25. Chapter 25

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: .fire333: You're not slow. The reason behind Lacy's dance with the Joker just hasn't been explained yet. Sorry the last chapter wasn't as exciting as you hoped.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Five

"I wonder if Mistah J is here yet." Harley said out-loud to Angela as they walked down the hallway together. "Did you see him out there earlier?"

"No." Lacy lied. "I haven't seen him, but it's hard to find anyone out there with so many people crowded in. I think tonight is going to really send a message to him."

"I hope so." Harley smiled nervously.

Lacy's cell phone started to ring before they got back out into the party area and she looked at the caller id. Relieved about who was calling her, she answered. "Hello?...What's wrong?...I'm kind of busy right now…I can't…" She sighed. "Ok. I'll be there as soon as I can."

She hung up her phone and looked over at Harley. "It looks like I have to leave."

"Leave?" Harley started to panic. "What do you mean? You can't leave me here alone!"

"You won't be alone. Your Mistah J will be here." Lacy pointed out.

"But how will I know what to do?" She worried.

"You know what to do." Lacy encouraged. "We've been through the plan several times. Trust me, you'll be fine. Just follow the plan exactly. I have complete confidence in you."

"But…" Harley protested.

"I'm sorry Harley," she apologized, "but this is important. My brother needs me."

"How is he doing?" Harley asked. Angela had helped her brother escape from Arkham a few days ago but hadn't said much about how he was doing.

"He has some good days and bad days. This one is apparently a very bad day." Lacy replied, keeping up the cover story of Crane being her brother. "The doctors in Arkham did a lot of damage to him and it's going to take a while to get him back to the way he used to be. But it will happen. I'm going to see to it."

"He's lucky to have a sister that's as devoted to him as you are." Harley praised.

"Well we're family and family has to stick together." Lacy said, not wanting to have to lie about this anymore. "Again, I'm sorry Harley but I have to go take care of him."

"No, I understand." She nodded. "You have to do what you think is best." The more she thought about it, the less upset she was about Angela's absence. Besides, it's probably better this way because then he will be able to see that she was the one responsible for tonight and she can downplay Angela's involvement.

"Thanks for understanding." Lacy smiled. "I'm disappointed that I won't be able to meet your guy or see what happens later."

"Don't worry." Harley said. "You can always catch it on the news tonight."

"Oh yeah." Lacy grinned. "I'm sure it's going to be all over the news. If you need anything my cell will be on. Otherwise, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sounds good." Harley replied, giving Angela a hug. "Thanks again for everything. You are such a good friend."

"I try my best." Lacy said, pulling away from her. "Have fun!"

Harley watched Angela leave before setting off on her own quest to find Mistah J. She knew he had to be here somewhere because he promised he would come. But Angela was right. It was difficult to find anyone in this crowd, especially since so many guys dressed like the Joker.

"Damn copycats." She mumbled. "They're never as good as the original."

* * *

Lacy walked right into Vincent's office, walking right up to his desk and sitting on his desk. She let her legs dangle off the end of the desk, only a few feet away from his chair. "Thanks for calling. Your timing was perfect."

"No problem." Vincent smiled, taking stock of her outfit. "You look…wow."

She grinned. "Thanks."

"You know, I've always loved Halloween." Vincent told her. "It's the one day out of the whole year that bookish, mousy girls feel it is ok to dress like a whore."

"Are you calling me mousy and bookish?" She asked with an amused chuckle.

"Oh heavens no!" He laughed. "I was just making an observation. How is your plan going so far?"

"It's going perfectly." She answered. "Thanks for asking."

"So tell me, why did you have me call you before the real action starts?" He was curious about her reasons. She had told him to call her at a specified time and pretend to tell her that she needed to come over. "I thought you would want to be there to see the looks on their faces."

"It's because the Joker is there and I couldn't let him see me, especially after what I did to him." She explained. "I needed to get out of there before Harley tries to go through with her plan."

"Yes, you mentioned something about dressing up as Harley." Vincent chuckled. "What exactly did you do dressed as Harley?"

"Well if you must know I danced provocatively with the Joker." She answered.

"Why would you go to all that trouble to dance with him?" Vincent asked.

"So that I could leave some 'presents' in his jacket pocket." She explained.

"What kind of 'presents'?" He couldn't help but be curious.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." She grinned. "A girl's gotta have some secrets."

Vincent grinned back. "So you basically took Harley's place. I assume that there was groping and kissing involved."

"Possibly." Lacy replied, not sure why Vincent was asking so many questions about this.

"And you liked it, didn't you?" It wasn't an accusation, more like a statement of fact. He had been watching her and could tell.

"No!" She laughed. "That's absurd!"

"Just admit it." He said. "You were bumping and grinding with the Joker and liked it."

"No way." She denied. "I don't have any feelings for him."

"I didn't say you had feelings." He pointed out. "I said you enjoyed it. You're the one bringing up feelings, and since you did, why don't you tell me how you really feel about him?"

"You know how I feel about him." She sighed. "I hate him and I want to see him dead."

"So you say." Vincent nodded, watching her closely. "But your face says something different. I've studied women my whole life and I know when they are hiding their feelings. You, my dear, enjoyed your time with the Joker, didn't you?"

"No." Lacy repeated, wishing it was the truth. But the truth was that a part of her had enjoyed her time with the Joker. Each moment she spent with him she felt herself getting drawn back into her old world, the world where she became a willing participant in his debauchery.

He was a charmer. He knew how to manipulate a woman into doing anything he wanted. He knew exactly what buttons to push on a woman to make her forget what a bastard he really is. And she felt herself forgetting, falling for his deception and loving every moment of it.

She hated herself for it. She was supposed to be stronger now and not fall for his tricks. But tonight she was weak and it killed her inside.

Kissing him tonight was different than the other times she had kissed him, yet still the same in some ways. She figured it was because he thought she was Harley and that might have been the reason for the different kissing style. With her he had always been possessive and domineering, kissing her like he had to prove something to her.

But tonight his style was different. It was still possessive and domineering, but it was also softer. While she knew that might not make much sense to some, there was no better way for her to describe it. It was just…different.

She wondered how long it would take him to realize that it wasn't Harley that he had been with on the dance floor. He probably wouldn't start to suspect anything until he kisses the real Harley again.

She would love to see the look of confusion on his face when he finds that out. She'd love it almost as much as she would love seeing the look on his face when he finds what she slipped into his jacket pocket.

While she wasn't proud of her mind and body's reactions to him and his actions, she was extremely proud of herself for executing her plan perfectly. She had managed to get close enough to him to taunt him and leave him some presents in his jacket in the process.

He definitely won't be a happy man when he finds what she left for him. It will escalate the game they are playing, but she's ready for it.

"I still don't believe you." Vincent chuckled. "So I'm invoking the use of one of my two remaining questions. I'm going to ask you this one more time and you have to play fair and answer truthfully. Ok?"

She really hated the fact that she had agreed to answer the three personal questions for him. But a deal was a deal. "Fine." She sighed.

"Did you enjoy your quality time with the Joker tonight?" He asked, happy that he was finally going to get the truth from her.

"A very small, weak part of me did." Lacy replied, so ashamed by her answer that she looked away from Vincent.

He raised his hand up and cupped her chin, bringing her face back so he could look in her eyes. "Thank you for telling the truth. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"No." She replied. "But this really wasn't any of your business anyway."

"And that's where we have to disagree." He shook his head but kept his hand on her chin. "You see, your dalliances with the Joker are very much my business. I'm spending quite a lot of time and manpower helping you in your quest to kill the Joker."

"I don't want to be made to look like a fool or a chump. That means I don't want to find out at the last minute that you've decided not to kill him, instead opting for a tearful reunion with your husband."

"Because where would that leave me in this equation?" He asked. "I'd be left in the dark and as soon the Joker found out that I had been helping you try to kill him, I would be dead. I don't want to die, especially not at the hands of your husband."

She didn't like the tone of Vincent's voice and for the first time, she realized just how dangerous of a man he really was. "You don't have to worry about that." She assured him. "The only reason I enjoyed it at all is because I'm a woman. I can't help it if my body reacts to a man."

"I better not." He told her. "Because I like you. I think you're amazing in many ways and I'd hate to see a world without you in it. But if I even suspect that you and he are planning on reconciling, I won't hesitate to come after you. After all, I have a reputation to maintain. You understand, right? Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal clear." She nodded.

"Good." He released his light grip on her chin. "Now I'm going to make myself a drink. Want one?"

"Yes please." She quickly replied. After the night she was having, she desperately needed it.

* * *

"Where have you been?" The Joker demanded to know as he grabbed a hold of Harley's arm and started pushing her through the crowd to an empty spot near the wall. He cornered her and held her arms up above her head. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"I was in one of the back rooms…" Harley tried to explain, finding her words cut off by the Joker's mouth covering hers in a frenzied kiss. She moaned softly at the movement of his tongue inside her mouth, imaging what a skilled tongue like that could do with other parts of her body.

She didn't know what had inspired this passion that he was showing for her, but welcomed it,

He continued kissing her, wondering what was different. Something wasn't the same as earlier. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely different. She was different somehow.

He thought about it for a few moments, letting her arms go and making his hands roam her backside. He thought about Harley's kissing style from earlier as compared to now. It was definitely different. Earlier she had been practically all over him and he had to admit he liked that. He liked her aggressiveness.

Now though, she was completely submissive. She was just standing there letting him do whatever he wanted and not contributing anything to this endeavor.

It was like she was two different people, but that was an impossible concept. He finally resigned himself to the conclusion that it felt different because she wasn't being aggressive anymore.


	26. Chapter 26

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Six

About a half hour later, the Joker and Harley emerged from one of the back rooms. Harley worked to make sure that her wig and clothes were back on straight and nothing seemed out of place. She sighed in contentment over what just happened.

She had been waiting for a long time but he had finally taken her to bed, well technically they had sex on a desk and against the wall, but she wasn't going to dwell on specifics. She was just happy about the events of tonight. She snuggled up next to him, linking her arm with his. "That was wonderful, puddin."

"Yeah." He absentmindedly replied. He hadn't planned on sleeping with Harley tonight but after that dance he couldn't help himself. He was too worked up and needed a release. And while the sex was good, he had experienced better.

He still couldn't get thoughts of the dance out of his mind though. There was something odd about the whole thing and something didn't quite add up. Harley had acted differently then, almost uncharacteristically different. He sighed, deciding to worry about it later.

Harley looked up at him. "I think it's time to tell you why I decided to throw this party."

"You mentioned something about a surprise for me." He pointed out.

"Yes." She nodded. "I was thinking about us and about what it would take for me to be a part of your world. You're a very dangerous man and I love that about you. You deserve someone in your life that understands that and embraces it. I think that's why your marriage to Lacy didn't work, right?"

"It was one of the reasons." He nodded slowly. Lacy's unwillingness to accept and support his endeavors was the main catalyst for their problems. He wondered where she was going with this.

"Well I don't want to be like her at all." She continued to explain. "I want to be your partner, in all ways possible. I want to be a part of your business, and I came up with a way to prove that I can be a valuable asset and fit into your world."

"And just how are you going to do that?" He was amused by her desire to be a part of his business, doubting that she had what it takes to be like him. At best she would be a pale imitation, not capable of pulling off big acts of chaos.

"I have several containers of toxic gas set to go off into the air conditioning unit of this warehouse." She smiled proudly. "All I have to do is push a few buttons and then within minutes everyone here will be dead."

His eyes narrowed as he watched her explain her plan. It was clever, almost too clever for Harley to have thought of by herself. And how did she manage to pull it off? How would she know who to contact for toxic gas? How did she pay for it? The questions kept piling up in his mind.

Then he realized something. Officer Sullivan had told him that Crane's escape was almost identical to his own. And now, days later, Harley has suddenly come into possession of toxic gas. While there were several people she could have gotten it from, what if she had commissioned Crane for the job? What if she got Crane out of Arkham to help her with this?

It seemed too coincidental that Crane's escape mirrored his own. Not many people knew about the specific details of his escape, and only Harley knew a few of the small details like passwords.

She knew about his dislike for Crane, although he had kept quiet about the reasons. But if she had researched in the police archives she would have been able to find out and Crane would have had no problem telling her all about it. She had to know that conspiring with Crane, even if it was about something to make him happy, would be a disastrous idea.

He didn't believe that Harley could pull something like this off by herself. She was new to the world of crime and still incredibly naïve about a lot of harsh realities. It wasn't that he thought she was dumb. She was intelligent, but not smart in the ways of crime. The only question remained. Who was helping her?

What is Crane or someone else? What if she was the person who was destroying his reputation in the public by ruining all of his schemes? What if she was the one who had left that box in his office, leading him to think Lacy was alive?

He had to stop himself for a moment. What motive would she have for that? He believed that she really did love him and wanted his approval. So why would she make him believe that Lacy was still alive? That didn't make much sense. So maybe she wasn't responsible for that.

But working with Crane did make sense.

He looked into her eyes and saw that she genuinely was interested in pleasing him with this scheme. He decided not to voice his theories about her possibly working with Crane until after he saw her execute this plan of hers.

"What do you think?" She asked expectantly. She could see that his mind was busy thinking about something but grew impatient. She wanted the praise and admiration she felt she deserved for this scheme. "It's brilliant, right? People come here for a party and then end up dead! I thought you'd like it because it's a large number of people and really sends a message."

"It does send a message." He nodded. "So the gas will distribute itself through the air ducts?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I just have to go into the room where the containers are being held and push a button. Then the gas will release itself through the air conditioning system."

"I assume you have a gas mask waiting for you in the room so that you don't breathe it in on your way out?" He questioned.

"Actually, I have a few." She replied. "I made sure there were extras in case you wanted to stay around and watch."

"That's my girl." He grinned. Although he doubted that she pulled this off by herself, he had to admit that it was a simply delicious idea. He couldn't wait to see all the annoying idiots here die a slow death. He would deal with Harley's potential betrayal later. Right now, he was in the mood to cause some death.

This was just the thing to get his reputation back on track with the public and strike fear back into their hearts. He was growing tired of having people not be afraid of him. This would fix that.

Although it was Harley's scheme, the credit would undoubtedly go to him. She wasn't known for schemes like this and the public would naturally assume that something like this was orchestrated by him. And he wouldn't dare contradict them.

"So when can we get this thing started?" He asked, getting impatient.

* * *

"I'm sorry if I was a little too intense earlier." Vincent apologized to Lacy as they both enjoyed their second drink. "It wasn't just because I don't want to look like a fool. I also don't want to see you fall into the same trap. The Joker isn't the right guy for you. You don't deserve someone who tried to kill you."

"I know that." She nodded. "It's complicated though. I hate him; I really do. And I don't want to be with him again because I didn't like the kind of person I let him turn me into. But he's got this commanding presence that almost intoxicates me. He gets to me."

She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "But I understand where you are coming from. I realize you have taken a big chance on me, trusting me not to deflect to the other side and leave you hanging out to dry. I'm not an idiot. I know that if I double-cross you, you will come after me."

"Although it would pain me to do so." He interjected.

"But you would still do it." She pointed out. "Because it's who you are and the business you are in. I'm loyal. I'm not going to reunite with the Joker and ride off into the sunset with him. He will die or I will die trying. Tonight was just…a weak moment on my part."

"I'm glad we have that settled." Vincent smiled.

* * *

"Everything's ready. The doors are locked and the canisters are in position." Harley told him, readjusting her gas mask. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." He told her, double-checking his mask. "Go ahead."

"Here it goes!" Harley squealed as she pressed the button. Immediately, the gas started to seep out from the canisters and got sucked into the air conditioning system.

"How long do we have to wait until they are dead?" The Joker asked.

"Only a couple of minutes." Harley replied. "Are you proud of me?"

"Huh?" He asked, distracted by the thoughts of killing all the annoying people who came up to him at the party earlier. They deserved to die, especially the girls who kept saying 'totally'.

"I asked if you were proud of me." Harley repeated.

"Oh course." He said, trying to make it convincing. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what to be with her. Part of him was suspicious, angry and confused. There was something not right with this whole plan of hers. He couldn't get past the feeling that she hadn't done this by herself.

"So you did this all by yourself?" He asked.

"Yes." She lied. While she knew she should give Angela some of the credit, especially since it was technically her idea and she had helped so much with the planning, she didn't want to. Angela wasn't here to contradict her, so she was going to take all of the credit for this and hopefully win the approval of her man. "I did it all by myself. I wanted to prove I can be the right woman for you and make you happy since you've been so on edge lately."

"Right. Well this certainly does cheer me up." He looked at his watch. "Should we go check on the party guests and see how they are doing?"

"Ooh yes, let's go!" She excitedly followed him out of the room. Although she had been having second thoughts about going through with this plan, she had pushed them aside in the hopes that she could make him happy. Now she was glad that she had gone through with this. He seemed happier.

They walked out of the room and down the hallway. When they got to the dance floor area of the warehouse, they saw that all of the guests were lying on the floor and unresponsive. "Well I have to hand it to ya Harley, you did good. This is absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you Mistah J!" She giggled.

"Now let's get out of here." He told her, heading for the door and stepping over the bodies of the party guests.

* * *

"Ok. I just got a text from my guy on the inside that Harley has released the gas." Lacy announced to Vincent.

"So now what?" Vincent questioned.

"Now I alert the police and GCN." Lacy smiled, pulling out a different phone. It was one of those prepaid phones that the police would have a hard time tracking down. She quickly typed a message and then hit send. "There. Now in about fifteen to twenty minutes we should be able to see a very interesting news report on GCN."

Vincent simply laughed as he turned on his television to GCN. "Do you think Harley has told the Joker about your involvement with this whole thing?"

"No." She shook her head. "She probably took all the credit for herself. But that's soon going to backfire on her."


	27. Chapter 27

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Vincent asked Lacy as they watched GCN for news on the warehouse.

"I don't know." Lacy shrugged. "But patience is a virtue."

"Unfortunately it's not one that I possess." Vincent pointed out. "I don't know what could be taking so long."

"I don't know either." She said, turning her head from the television to look at Vincent. "But I do know that the wait will be worth it." She turned back to the television and smiled. "Here we go! I think this is it!"

"_We're here at an abandoned warehouse on the docks where a Halloween rave party turned dangerous. Earlier tonight hundreds of Gotham citizens were inside this warehouse, all having a good time and oblivious to the danger surrounding them. We have two of the party goers with us now. What are your names?" _

_The camera panned over to two young women. "I'm Amber and this is my BFF Tiffani." Amber proudly replied into the microphone. _

" _Can you tell me what happened in there tonight?" Roxanne, the reporter, asked. _

"_We were just dancing and having a good time." Amber explained. "All of a sudden this gas started leaking from the air vents. Everyone was really scared and panicking." _

_Tiffani then jumped in. "But then people started dropping to the floor and we thought we were going to die." _

"_Totally." Amber agreed. "But I guess it was just some kind of gas that makes you pass out for a few minutes because we woke up a short time later and we're fine now." _

"_That must have been incredibly scary though." Roxanne mused. _

"_Totally." The girls said at the same time. _

"_The police are being quiet about who they think orchestrated this but I hear that you two have your own theory. Care to share it?" Roxanne asked. _

"_We think it was the Joker." Tiffani replied. _

"_And why do you think that?" Roxanne questioned. _

"_We saw someone at the party before everything went down that looked exactly like the Joker. He had the same clothes, same makeup, and everything." Amber explained. _

"_But looking around, I see numerous other people dressed as the Joker tonight." Roxanne pointed out. "How can you be sure that it was the real him?" _

"_He threatened us if we didn't leave him alone." Amber replied. "And trust me, he was convincing. At the time we thought he was just in character, but now we know it was him. He did this to everyone." _

"_He totally did it." Tiffani agreed. _

"_Thank you for your time." Roxanne smiled at them, motioning for them to leave now that the interview was over. "There you have it Mike, the theory here is that this was the work of the Joker." _

"_Thanks Roxanne for that report." Mike addressed her. "But I can't help wondering why the Joker would go to all this trouble to simply make people lose consciousness for a few minutes." _

"_I know what you mean." Roxanne agreed. "I've gotten unconfirmed reports from a source who wishes to remain anonymous that the gas used tonight was actually supposed to be toxic and kill everyone in the building. Instead it became a huge blunder. If this was the work of the Joker, then it is just another in a series of recent mishaps he's encountered."_

"_True." Mike nodded with a slight chuckle. "It's not been a good couple of weeks for the Joker and his schemes. Next up, we will be…"_

Lacy turned off the television and looked smugly at Vincent.

He clapped his hands and grinned at her. "Well my dear you have done it again. You have managed to make him look like an incompetent fool."

"Thank you." She smiled. "But I didn't do it alone. I had your help and also the help of my good friend Harley. I can't wait to see his reaction to this. I almost feel sorry for her."

* * *

The Joker fumed as he watched the news report. It was bad enough that Harley's scheme didn't work and was a complete failure. He could live with that and would've have gotten too upset about it. He could also probably accept the fact that those annoying brats Amber and Tiffani were still alive to say 'totally' all they wanted.

What he couldn't accept was the fact that the media and the whole city was going to blame him for it!

He had nothing to do with this, yet he was going to get the blame for it. The public was already having a good time laughing at him thanks to the anonymous tips that keep getting sent to the police. Now this was only going to add fuel to the fire.

How was he supposed to strike fear back into their hearts when stuff like this happens?

He got up and stormed out of his office, in search of Harley. He soon found her in the bedroom changing out of her costume. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself.

"Hey puddin!" She greeted happily. "What's up?"

"There was a news report on the events at the warehouse on GCN." He told her.

"Really?" She questioned. "Already? That was quick."

"Yeah." He agreed. "Harley, dearest Harley, where do I start?"

"With what?" She asked, confused. He was acting weird. Something was bothering him, but she had no idea what it could be. He should be happy right now after killing all those people. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you have completely failed! The people in that warehouse are not dead!" He yelled, the intensity in his voice causing her to jump back a little.

"Failed?" She repeated. "I didn't fail. We saw them! They were…"

"They were unconscious!" He explained. "The gas you sent through the vents wasn't toxic enough to kill anyone. It just made them unconscious for a few minutes."

"That's impossible!" Harley objected quietly. "The guy I bought it from promised that it would kill."

"Well then he was lying!" He pointed out. "Damn it! This is not acceptable!"

"I don't see why you're so upset." She whispered. "I mean it was my mistake, not yours."

"But don't you see?" He laughed sardonically. "The media is already claiming that this is fiasco is my fault. Soon everyone will be laughing about my inability to pull off any kind of crime! They've already been laughing at me because of the person who keeps leaking the info to the cops."

She went over and put her arm around his shoulder, gently pulling him into a hug. "It will be ok."

He pushed her aside angrily, almost causing her to fall to the floor. But she caught herself on the wall. "Well thank you for trying to help me but from now on, stay the hell out of my business!"

"You know, it's not really my fault." She objected. "How could I have known that the guy would rip me off?"

"And just who is this man who sold you the wrong stuff?" The Joker asked. He still suspected that she had broken Crane out of Arkham to help her with this scheme and now was as good a time as any to find out for certain.

"His name was J.C." Harley replied.

"J.C." The Joker repeated. J.C. as in Jonathon Crane. His blood was boiling now as he contemplated what to do with her. She seemed unaware of the intensity of anger he was directing at her.

"He was supposedly an expert in this kind of thing. I just told him exactly what I wanted and he was supposed to make it." Harley explained.

"Yeah, well he obviously didn't listen to you." He shook his head and started to walk out of the room.

"Puddin!" She called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Out." He replied without looking back. "Don't wait up for me." He needed to go for a walk and clear his head before he did something he might regret later, like chopping Harley up into little pieces.

* * *

"I can't believe that you managed to pull this off." Vincent laughed as they shared a drink together.

"I can't believe you're still doubting me." Lacy laughed.

"It's not doubt, so much as surprise." He corrected her. "I mean, honestly, this plan was brilliant. Switching the canisters so that no one got hurt and making it seem like the Joker was behind it is wonderful."

"Now the city will continue to believe that the Joker has lost his edge and can no longer pull off any kind of major crime. Hopefully it will give the city some peace of mind." Lacy mused. "It also doesn't hurt that this will drive the Joker absolutely mad as he tries to regain control of his life while it continues to spiral away from him."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Vincent joked. "It is not a good place to be. So what do you think he will do with Harley?"

"I don't know for sure." She replied. "I don't think he'll do anything rash so she's probably safe for now. He's going to suspect her of many things and he'll want to keep a close eye on her."

"So are you still going to meet with her then?" He asked. "If the Joker keeps a close eye on Harley, won't he discover you in the process?"

"He won't see me until I'm ready for him to see me." Lacy grinned. "And I've still got plenty of tricks up my sleeve."

* * *

The Joker didn't stay on the streets too long. He soon found his way to one of his safe houses on the other side of town. He figured he needed to be away from Harley for awhile.

The name of her supplier was J.C. and he couldn't shake the suspicion that those initials belonged to Crane. It was too coincidental. Besides that, Harley couldn't have possibly planned this thing by herself. She would have needed someone to bounce ideas off of and help her develop them.

The person was probably Crane. She must have broken him out of Arkham so that he could help her with this, but he must have double-crossed Harley and switched the canisters as a way of getting back at him for the whole shooting and attempted murder situation.

Perhaps Harley was innocent of everything except trusting Crane.

He didn't want to think that Harley would betray him by purposely causing him problems. He wanted to believe that she was someone he could trust. The problem was though that he was beginning to doubt if he really could trust her.

He sighed and started pacing around the house, putting his hands in his jacket pockets. To his surprise there was stuff in his pocket. He pulled the items out, holding them in his hands.

One of the items was a Queen of Hearts card exactly like the one he received in the box that was left on his desk a few days ago. Only this one had writing on it in what looked like black marker. It was a date.

_May 5, 1998_

He tried to think of what that date could mean, figuring it out when he saw the other item. Looking closely at it he saw that it was Lacy's engagement ring. And that was the date they officially got engaged. The memories of that day started to infiltrate his mind.

_He had blindfolded Lacy and taken her to the park, bringing her to the fountain in the center of the park. It the location of their first real kiss and he figured this was a good place to ask her._

"_Where are we?" She asked with a laugh. _

"_It's a surprise." He told her._

"_Ok." She sighed. "Are you going to take the blindfold off soon?" _

"_Actually, yes because we are here." He reached over and undid the blindfold. _

"_We're at the park." She noted out-loud. "Why are we at the park?" _

"_I'm getting to that." He chuckled. "Just give me a moment, ok?" _

"_Ok." She shrugged. _

_He moved her so that she was now sitting on the stone edge of the fountain. He sat next to her "Lacy, I know the past week has been hectic with finding out about this baby and everything."_

"_You can say that again!" She exclaimed. _

"_Please, don't interrupt me right now." He asked. _

"_Sorry." She apologized, now listening intently. _

"_As I was saying, this baby is going to change a lot of things—possibly everything. But the one thing that won't change is my love for you. I want you to know that I was going to wait and do this in a couple of years, but I think now is a better time. I love you. Will you marry me?" _

She of course said yes and he proceeded to give her his mother's engagement ring—the same ring that he was now holding in his hand. His hand clenched into a fist as he growled, throwing the ring across the room.


	28. Chapter 28

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lacy was getting ready to leave Vincent's office when her cell phone rang. She saw who it was and grinned before answering it. "Hello?"

"Angela! I am so glad I got a hold of you." Harley exclaimed. "Have you seen the news?"

"No Harley, I haven't seen the news yet." Lacy lied. "Why? What's going on? Has the media already reported on the warehouse?"

"Yeah, they have and it turns out that the canisters weren't toxic gas!" Harley explained. "It just contained something that made everyone unconscious for a few minutes. Now Mistah J is so mad at me because the media is blaming him for it and he's worried they are going to laugh at him and I don't know what to do. He left the house and I have no idea where he went or when he's coming back, or if he's coming back. I just don't know what to do…"

"Well you could start by not rambling." Lacy advised. "Calm down and take a few deep breaths."

"Ok." Harley agreed, taking a few seconds to do some deep breathing. "Now what?"

"What did he say to you when he found out?" She asked.

"He told me I failed and that I needed to stay out of his business from now on." Harley explained. "He's so mad at me right now. I mean, I understand it but it's not my fault!"

"I'm sure he'll see that once he calms down." Lacy assured her.

"It's just not fair because earlier we were really starting to connect. We even had sex, but now he may want to throw me out of his life completely!" Harley complained.

Lacy wasn't too surprised to find out that they had sex tonight. She knew how turned on he had been after their dance so it wasn't too much of a stretch to think that he would want to go farther when he found 'Harley' again. "I'm so sorry Harley. I know that you wanted this to be perfect."

"And it would have been if the canisters were what they were supposed to be!" Harley exclaimed. "I just don't understand. I ordered them from the guy you sent me to and I could have sworn that he understood exactly what I wanted. How could this have happened?"

"I don't know." Lacy lied. "This doesn't make any sense. J.C. has always done good work in the past. He never let my husband down like this."

"Maybe he just didn't take me seriously because I'm a woman?" Harley questioned.

"Maybe." Lacy agreed. "It's entirely possible. But the reason doesn't matter. What matters now is that you find a way to get back in the Joker's good graces."

"How do I do that?" Harley whined. "I don't even know where he is."

"He'll come back. Guys like that always do." Lacy assured her. "And when he does, you have to find a way to convince him that you are on his side no matter what. Let him know that he can be as mad at you as he wants to be but you aren't going anywhere because you love him. Use any and all of the tricks in your arsenal."

"I can do that." Harley stated.

"Look, I have to go but we'll talk again soon." Lacy said. She had other things to do other than babysit Harley on the phone all night. "Ok?"

"Ok." Harley replied. "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime." Lacy said before hanging up.

"Something wrong in the house of the Joker?" Vincent laughed.

"He is pissed right now." Lacy reported with a grin. "But just wait until he finds what I left for him. That will really set him off."

"I still wish I knew what that was." Vincent pointed out.

"Too bad you'll never know." She taunted. "Are we all set right now?"

"Yes." He replied. "I'll start prepping for the next phase in your plan tomorrow morning."

"Thank you." She nodded. "Well I have things to do and people to see so I'll see you later."

"Yes you will." He said, turning on the television to watch more coverage of the warehouse incident. The media was still talking about the Joker's latest blunder and he couldn't get enough of the Joker's humiliation.

* * *

The Joker paced around the living room of his safe house, tightly gripping the Queen of Hearts card in his hand. There were few people in this world who knew the day that he had proposed to Lacy. Most of those people were dead. And not many people would have access to Lacy's engagement ring.

The thought crossed his mind that perhaps Bruce was setting up this whole thing as a way to mess with his mind. But this cat and mouse game wasn't like him. He would normally go for a straight-out fight. Besides that, neither Bruce nor his alter-ego had been seen in public since the shooting.

He had wondered if Harley was behind this whole thing but it didn't make much sense to him. And how would she know what day he proposed to Lacy? He hadn't told her that, and he doubted she would know where Lacy's belongings were. He didn't even know where they were.

No, he didn't want to admit it, but Lacy was alive. He felt it in his bones. She was out there, laughing at him along with the rest of the city.

He wouldn't let her get the last laugh.

The thought of Lacy being alive both infuriated him and made his smile. She always was a survivor, just like him. It was one of the things they had in common. But he couldn't let himself get sentimental over her. He needed to deal with her, once and for all.

Although he had lamented several times over the past two years about his sorrow for killing her, he couldn't let her run around town freely-especially if she was going to taunt him like this.

It occurred to him that she could also be the one behind his recent string of bad luck with the police, although he didn't know how she would be getting information about his activities prior to executing them-unless she had an informant.

He had two choices. He could either step up his surveillance of the city to track her down, or he could take a more proactive approach to draw her out and get his answers.

A plan started to form in his mind and he grinned. He knew exactly what he had to do in order to get the truth about Lacy.

* * *

"He's sleeping." Lacy told Alfred as she entered the kitchen and sat down at the island.

"You could wake him up. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Alfred knew for a fact that Bruce would be upset if Lacy came by and left without waking him up.

"I know," she nodded, "but he needs his rest right now."

"It's just a good thing that the antibiotics are starting to work and his infection is getting better." Alfred pointed out.

"Definitely. I was getting worried about him, and I'm sure you were too." Lacy stated, staring off into space.

"You can't keep blaming yourself for him being in that bed." Alfred said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"How did you know that was what I was thinking?" Lacy chuckled.

"It's a gift that I've honed after years of looking after Master Wayne." Alfred smiled. "It's not your fault. He made his own choice when he put himself in the line of fire for you."

"I guess." She sighed. "But he doesn't deserve this."

"No, he doesn't." Alfred agreed. "But he is strong and he'll come out of this just fine."

A few minutes went by in silence, until Alfred put a plate of food in front of her. "You didn't have to make me dinner."

"It's nothing too special." He shrugged. "Just some leftover roast beef made into a sandwich. You looked hungry."

"Actually, I'm starving." She smiled, eyeing the sandwich hungrily. "Thanks."

"You know, I saw the news earlier." He stated.

She was in the process of bringing the sandwich to her mouth but stopped for a moment when he said that. "Oh really? Anything interesting on?" She asked innocently, stuffing her face with as much sandwich as possible so that she would be chewing for a while and not have to answer the impending questions Alfred was sure to ask.

"Actually there was this interesting piece about a warehouse rave that almost turned deadly. It seems that the Joker tried to kill hundreds of people by releasing a toxic gas but the gas only made them lose consciousness." Alfred explained, even though he knew that she was already aware of this. "You don't have to tell me specifics, but did you have something to do with that?"

"Why would think that I had anything to do with it?" She asked a few moments later after swallowing her sandwich.

"Because I know you." Alfred replied.

She chuckled, knowing there was no way she could pretend that she didn't have something to do with this. "I may have made sure that the canisters were harmless."

"Just like you've been alerting the police to his schemes and writing the anonymous letters to the editor in the Gotham Times?" He questioned.

"You know me too well." She smiled.

"This is a dangerous game that you are playing." He reminded her. "Does he know that you are still alive?"

"He…well…I…" She didn't know how to explain it.

"He does, doesn't he?" Alfred suspected as much.

"Possibly." She replied.

"You do realize that if he truly thinks you are alive he will tear this town apart looking for you, right?" Alfred brought up that valid point.

"I know." She nodded. "That's why I wanted you and Bruce to leave town. I still think it would be best."

"But we can't do that right now." Alfred pointed out. "Especially now that he has gotten that infection. We'll be safe here. It's you that I'm worried about. You're out there without any protection or back-up."

"I'm fine." She tried to assure him. She could take care of herself and if she did happen to get into a situation where she was in trouble, she did have back-up. All she had to do was dial 5 on her cell phone and Vincent would send his men to wherever she was. But she couldn't tell Alfred that. He would flip out even more if he knew that she was trusting Vincent Maroni with her life.

"Just please be careful. The Joker got in here once; I don't want him getting in again." She cautioned.

"We're well protected here." Alfred assured her.

"Ok. I'm going to go sit with Bruce for a while." She picked up her plate, taking it with her. "Thanks for the sandwich." She appreciated the fact that Alfred cared enough about her to worry about her safety but she knew what she was doing. She could handle herself. It was him and Bruce she was worried about.

The Joker wouldn't think twice about coming after Bruce and Alfred in an attempt to smoke her out and get a face to face meeting. Why didn't anyone else see this? She felt like she was taking crazy pills! All Bruce and Alfred say to her concerns is 'we'll be fine' and 'we're well protected'.

While that may be the case, the Joker got in here once. He could do it again if he really wanted to and no amount of security would stop him. Alfred was surprisingly good with weapons but she doubted he would be able to fend off the Joker and his goons if they got in here, and Bruce definitely wouldn't be able to help much. The only way to ensure their safety would be if they leave town, but like Alfred said, that's not an option right now.

So if they weren't going to take the Joker seriously, then it would be up to her to make sure nothing happened to them.


	29. Chapter 29

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Sorry for missing the update yesterday! But here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Lacy walked into the safe house, amused when she saw Crane lying on the couch. He was fast asleep, clutching the television remote in his hands and she could swear that was a drool spot on the pillow. She couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Shaking her head, she snatched the television remote from his hands and flipped it off. Grabbing the remote from his hands so she thought of a better way to wake him up. Moments later she returned from the kitchen and stood next to him. On the silent count of three she banged two large pots together, causing a loud clang which woke him up.

He jumped nearly a foot in the air, surprised and jolted awake by the noise. "What the hell?" He yelled, sitting up and seeing Lacy there. The pots in her hand explained the noise. "What did you do that for?"

"I needed to wake you up." She explained innocently.

"There were several other ways to do it." He pointed out, more annoyed than angry. "You didn't have to try and give me a heart attack."

"But it was more fun this way." She grinned, chuckling softly. "Besides, it got the job done. You're wide awake now."

"Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes. "So to what do I owe this visit?"

"I came to say thank you." She told him, setting the pots down on the coffee table. "Your gas canisters worked perfectly and I was glad to see that you didn't try any funny business."

"You made it clear that I shouldn't." He explained, stretching out for a few moments. "And you're welcome. I suppose congratulations are in order."

"Congratulations for what?" She asked, not understanding.

"I've seen the news footage." He motioned to the television. "You used my canisters to ruin the Joker's plans and it worked. He's now the laughing stock of the city. I can only imagine how upset he must be right now."

She smiled. "He must be extremely upset by now."

"Yes." He nodded. "So what's next in your plan for him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. What plan?" She pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"You have to have some kind of a plan for dealing with him." He pointed out. "So what's next?"

"Even if there was a plan, why would I tell you?" She asked.

He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get any information out of her. "So now that I've done the job you wanted me to do, when am I getting out of here? When are you going to call off the bodyguards and let me leave town?"

"I haven't decided." She told him. "Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea for me to let you go yet. So for the time being you will be staying here indefinitely."

"That's not fair." He complained. "I don't want to be cooped up in this house anymore. I want my freedom."

"Well I want to own my own tropical island but we don't always get what we want. It's called life. Deal with it." She pointed out. "But if you are so intent on leaving, go ahead."

"Really?" He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, trying to figure out the catch.

"Really." She nodded, motioning toward the door. "You are free to leave anytime you want. Of course, if you decide to leave I will have to have the guys follow you and then I'll call up the Joker and tell him exactly where you are. I'm sure he would be interested in seeing you again."

"Probably almost as interested as he would be to see you again." Crane countered. He knew that his freedom wouldn't be that easy. There were always strings attached.

"Probably." She smirked. "That's why there are no phones in here."

"You don't trust me?" He feigned a look of hurt.

"Nope." She shook her head. "Sorry."

"Then you're smart." He smiled.

"Look, the bottom line is this. I've gone to considerable lengths to free you from Arkham. I've put you in this really nice, suitable house. I've kept you safe and well fed. So while this isn't a villa on a private beach, it's far from prison, Arkham or death—which is what you would find yourself in without my help." She calmly explained.

"I suggest you start acting a little more grateful and a little less whiny because you have it pretty good here. It's not like I'm going to keep you here forever. You'll get your freedom soon enough. But I would appreciate it if you could be a little more patient."

He listened to her and thought about what she said. It was true. Without her help, he would still be in Arkham. And without this safe house he would be vulnerable to the police and the Joker. "Fine." He sighed. "I'll work on being more patient and grateful."

"That's all I ask." She grinned. "Now, I have a question. How good are you at making explosive devices?"

* * *

The Joker picked up the newspaper the next morning, immediately regretting that decision. He had stayed at the other safe house, purposely staying away from Harley. He was still furious with her for botching her scheme at the warehouse. Whether or not she did it on purpose, the fact remained that it had done serious damage to his reputation. All he had to do was look at the headline on the Gotham Daily Times this morning to find proof of that.

_Joker Bungles Another Crime_

It went on to detail Harley's scheme and the ways it failed. It angered him, but not nearly as much as the anonymous letter to the editor. Given the format is similar to the previous ones, he suspected they had all been written by the same person.

_Dear citizens of Gotham,_

_Well, our least favorite clown has done it again! He has botched yet another attempt to bring our city down to its knees. One has to wonder what is wrong with him. Is this really the same guy who we were afraid of two years ago? Has he lost his touch or have we just finally had enough and see him for the bully that he is?_

_Either way, it doesn't really matter. I believe that the Joker is a has-been and it's only a matter of time before the police catch up with him. _

_This city is going to be better off without idiots like him walking around. I can't wait for that day, although I have to admit I am having fun laughing at the Joker's mistakes._

If he ever got a hold of the person writing these letters he would show them that he was not a has-been and that he hadn't lost his touch. He would make them scream and beg for death, only to keep torturing them.

He sighed, flipping on the television hesitantly. He knew that GCN would most likely still be covering the warehouse incident and dreaded hearing what they had to say. The program was one of the early morning talk shows called Julie and Julie. It was aptly named that because both of the hosts were named Julie.

"_You know, I think what the last few days have shown us is that we as Gothamites have had enough of the Joker and pretty much all crime in general." The Julie with blonde hair ruminated. "Let's face it. We've been terrorized quite a lot the last few years. There was the fear toxin, the mob, and then the Joker. For some reason criminals feel the need to converge upon Gotham City and spread their evil here." _

_She continued. "We've had to deal with some horrific situations but the one thing we've never done is given up all hope. Sure there were times when we have felt defeated and deflated but we've never given up the hope that things could change. I think that time is coming." _

"_You think a change is coming?" The Julie with brown hair asked. _

"_I definitely think a change is coming. I can feel it. I feel like brighter days are on the horizon, days where the Joker no longer runs around as a threat to us and we don't have to live in fear." Blonde Julie replied. _

"_And why do you think that?" Brunette Julie asked. _

"_Because look at the Joker's recent attempted crimes." Blonde Julie pointed out. "He can't seem to do anything criminal without someone ratting him out to the police or fouling it up himself. The times are changing and with any luck it won't be too long until we no longer have to report on anything having to do with the Joker." _

He flipped off the television and threw the remote across the room. Everyone in this town had now become unafraid of him. There was a time that no one in the media or even in private would dare speak like that about him. They would all be afraid that he would come after them. But now no one was afraid and they all spoke their minds.

It infuriated him. He would have to do something to prove them all wrong. There had to be something he could do to bring the fear back into their hearts. But it was hard to plan something since he didn't know who he could trust and who would betray him. He had his suspicions about who the leak was, but nothing definite.

Although proving to the city that he wasn't going anywhere and they should fear him that was just one of the many things on his mind nowadays. He still had to deal with the fact that Crane was alive and running around somewhere in the city. There was his anger with Harley and his suspicions that she was working with Crane and/or being manipulated by him in an attempt to bring him down.

Then there was Lacy. After getting some sleep he grew even more confident and sure that she was alive. After all, if the police faked Crane's death, whose to say they didn't fake Lacy's too?

He also knew he couldn't discount Lacy. She could somehow be involved in his recent troubles, maybe even working with Crane.

He would find Lacy and make her answer some questions, and he had the perfect plan for how to do it. Now he just had to figure out which of his men were trustworthy enough to help him execute it properly.

* * *

"Do we have any leads on who sent the text message last night that led us to the warehouse?" Gordon asked Locke as they walked into his office.

"No." Locke shook his head. "It seems that the message was sent through a prepaid phone and we haven't been able to track down the location of where the call came from."

"Damn." Gordon sighed. "While I appreciate whoever is helping us, I don't want to appear like I'm encouraging vigilantes doing the job of the police."

"I know." Locke nodded. "Plus, it would be safer for this person if they had police protection and we might be able to get more information from them."

"Whoever is helping us seems to know what they are doing, and is good at covering their tracks." Gordon pointed out.

"Are you sure it isn't Batman?" Locke questioned.

"I'm sure." Gordon replied. "This isn't Batman's style. He would have found a way to contact us and let us know what he was doing."

"Word on the street is that Batman hasn't been seen in awhile." Locke reminded his boss. "Should we be worried about that?"

"No." Gordon shook his head. "I'm sure Batman is fine. Our priorities are finding out who this informant is and finding Crane before the media finds out about him still being alive."

"Right." Locke nodded. "We still haven't been able to find out anything about Crane either. It's like he disappeared right after escaping from Arkham. His trail has gone cold."

"He has to be somewhere in the city." Gordon pointed out.

"Maybe the Joker found him first and finished the job for us." Locke chuckled at the thought.

"That's too much to hope for." Gordon sighed.


	30. Chapter 30

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out! Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty

"Has your guy finished with the job yet?" Lacy asked Vincent as she sat on his desk.

"He's almost done. He should be finished in a few minutes." Vincent replied. "He's putting the finishing touches on it as we speak."

"Good." Lacy smiled. "I'm glad to see your guy is efficient and quick about these kinds of things."

"He is one of the best hackers in the business." Vincent boasted. "But I am still not sure why you wanted him to hack into the police mainframe." She hadn't told him what she was going to have his guy do once he was in the police mainframe and he was more than curious.

"It's an insurance policy." Lacy replied. "That's all you need to know right now."

He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get any more information about this from her right now. "Ok."

"I'm buying another warehouse." She told him.

"Why another warehouse? Why can't you continue to use the one you bought?" Vincent asked.

"Because that is the warehouse I used for Harley's party and the police are going to be watching it. I need a warehouse that is far away from there but still on the docks and preferably surrounded by other abandoned warehouses." She explained.

"That might be tough to find." Vincent explained.

"I have complete faith in you though." She assured him. "I know you'll find the right warehouse for me. It doesn't even have to be big. It just needs to be out of the way and not next to anything that the city would miss if something bad were to occur."

"I see." He nodded, understanding what she was saying. "I'll do my best to find something suitable."

"Thanks." She grinned. "Now if you will excuse me, I have someplace to be."

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me on such short notice." Lacy told Harley as they sat what was quickly becoming their usual table at the bar.

"It was no problem." Harley assured her friend.

"He still hasn't come back yet?" Lacy asked, noting the sad look on Harley's face.

"Nope." Harley shook her head. "I'm beginning to wonder if he's ever coming back."

"He will." Lacy told her. Honestly she was kind of surprised that he hadn't come back yet, but figured he hadn't come back because he needed more time to process the present she left for him in his jacket pocket. She wondered if he had figured out that it was her that he had danced with yet. "So, are you ok?"

"I guess." Harley sighed. "I just wish Mistah J would come back so that we can talk. I know I can make him believe that I didn't sabotage him to make him look bad. I just need to talk to him in order to convince him that I have the best of intentions."

"I'm sure you can too." Lacy agreed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dale sitting at the bar and smiled on the inside. Her plan was going to work perfectly, although she did feel a slight twinge of guilt over this one. But it needed to be done and all parties involved deserved what was coming.

"I want everything to be ok with Mistah J and me." Harley pouted. "I've given up everything to be with him—and I don't mind. Really. I'm not upset about giving up my job or my old life. Truthfully it wasn't that fulfilling anyway. But he's really all that I have now and I don't like feeling like I've let him down."

"I'm sure everything will work out the way it's supposed to." Lacy advised. "I know it's hard right now, but things will get better. I think you just need to let him calm down a little. It has to be difficult for him, considering what the media and the public are saying about him."

"Yeah." Harley hadn't thought about that. He has to be upset about the way the public is treating him. "You are such a good friend, listening to me whine and complain like this."

"Well that's what friends are for." Lacy smiled, feeling slightly guilty.

"So why'd ya wanna meet today?" Harley asked, putting on a small smile.

"I wanted to apologize in person for what happened at the warehouse." Lacy replied. "I feel like it's my fault since I introduced you to J.C."

"It's not your fault, Angela!" Harley assured her friend. "I certainly don't blame you for what happened. I blame him for messing up the order. I know I was clear in telling him what I wanted. I have no idea why he screwed me over like this!"

"I don't know either." Lacy shook her head. She figured that Harley wouldn't blame her for what happened but she had to make sure. "But I will take care of him and make sure he knows never to do anything like that again."

"Thanks." Harley sighed in relief. "Though I'm not sure I would ever use him again."

"You're right." Lacy agreed. "But we have to teach him a lesson so he doesn't do it to other people."

* * *

The Joker had a lot on his mind, and as much as he wanted to rip the city apart looking for Lacy, he decided that she would have to wait for a few days while he figured things out with Harley. He needed to know where Harley's true loyalties were and also need to know her part in his recent troubles. Besides, he needed a few days to figure out the best way to carry out his plan to snuff her out and make her come to him.

He had stayed away from Harley for the rest of the day, trying to figure out the best way to handle this situation with her. He was conflicted. There was a part of him that wanted to believe that she wasn't actively trying to sabotage him, that she was merely being used and manipulated by someone else. After all, she was easy to manipulate at times.

Then there was the other part of him that wasn't so sure that she wasn't a major player in the campaign to get him back into police custody. He had to look at the facts. Crane had been broken out of Arkham by using pretty much the exact same plan that he had Harley use to get him out. She definitely had the opportunity to alert the police about his plans in plenty of time for the police to act on the information. Plus, the latest blunder of her scheme to kill everyone in the warehouse.

It all added up. The only thing that didn't make sense was why. Why would she do this to him? She claimed to love him and had told him on several occasions that all she wanted was to be with him and a part of his life. So why would she want to risk him going back to jail or Arkham? That didn't make much sense to him.

But he was determined to find out.

He had asked Dale to follow Harley if she left the safe house. Dale had called a half hour ago saying that he was following Harley and she went to a nearby bar.

With Harley out of the house, he returned to the safe house. His first stop was the bedroom, determined to find a clue about Harley's true intentions. He turned the bedroom upside-down looking for anything but was having no luck. Almost ready to give up, he opened her underwear drawer. He sifted through the bras and panties, surprised when he found a small box at the bottom of the drawer.

Curious, he pulled it out and examined it from all sides. It was similar to the one that had been left on his desk a few days ago with the playing card and note. He opened it to find a stack of playing cards. Taking them out, he saw they were all the Queen of Hearts.

While this didn't fully condemn Harley, it certainly didn't make her look innocent. His blood boiled with the idea of her being the one sending him these cryptic notes and mementos. Still, he tried to think about this rationally.

Someone could have planted these in her drawer. If the real traitor was one of his men, they would know that he would search Harley's belongings.

He tried to calm down, even though he wanted to strangle her. Finding this in her underwear drawer didn't mean she was guilty of anything. It was merely strike one against her.

The ringing of his phone drew him from his reverie. "What?" He growled.

"Boss, I followed Harley like you asked." Dale's voice came through.

"Good." He replied. "Is she still at that bar?"

"Yes." Dale replied nervously, hoping Lacys' plan was going to work. "But there's something you should know. She's meeting with someone right now."

"Who?" The Joker demanded to know.

"I don't know how to tell you this but if I didn't know any better I would say it's Lacy." Dale replied.

"Lacy?" The Joker's eyes narrowed and he felt his blood pressure rising. "Take a picture with your cell phone and send it to me."

"Ok boss." Dale covertly took a picture of Harley and Lacy talking. Then he sent them through his phone. "Did it go through?"

"Yes." He answered, taking a look. The person on the right was definitely Harley, but he was having some trouble identifying the person on the left. That woman had long dark hair and the cell phone picture was blurry. "Are you sure that it's Lacy?"

"I'm pretty sure." Dale replied. "But I don't know how it could be her since she's supposed to be dead."

"That is puzzling." The Joker replied, not wanting to let on to Dale that he suspected Lacy was alive. But he trusted Dale to know what Lacy looked like and if he said it was Lacy then he was probably right.

He thought about what to do, whether he should have Dale stop Lacy from leaving or let her go.

"Uh boss, there's also something else you should know." Dale interrupted the Joker's thought process.

"Well, what is it?" He demanded. "I don't have all day."

"Harley was being called by a different name." Dale lied. He had talked to Lacy earlier in the day and knew exactly what to say to the Joker, but he still couldn't help feeling nervous about lying.

"What do you mean she was called a different name?" The Joker was confused about this. "What was she called?"

"She was being called Angela Vandelay." Dale explained. He only hoped that Lacys' plan didn't backfire on her. He had no idea why he was told to tell the Joker about Lacys' presence here tonight or why he was supposed to lie and say that Harley was using the cover name that Lacy had been using.

When he asked Lacy about it she merely told him it was none of his business and that he should stick to doing what she asked. He figured she had a good reason though. After all, her previous plans had all seemed to work out perfectly. So she must know what she's doing. Frankly he thought it was dangerous letting the Joker know where she was, but she said she had it under control so he let it drop.

"Angela Vandelay." The Joker repeated softly. "Thanks for the heads up."

"It looks like they are leaving." Dale commented. "What do you want me to do? Keep following Harley or the other woman?"

"Follow Harley." He decided quickly. Harley seemed like the bigger threat at the moment. He needed to find out everything he could about this Angela Vandelay and why Harley was going by that name.

Hanging out with Lacy tonight was strike number two for Harley.


	31. Chapter 31

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-One

"So how are you feeling?" Lacy asked Bruce as she sat on the side of his bed. After she left the bar from her meeting with Harley, she checked to make sure that the Joker hadn't sent anyone to follow her before making her way over to visit Bruce. She didn't think that the Joker would send Dale after her, especially after what she had Dale tell him. But she didn't want to risk anyone finding the secret entrance to Bruce's penthouse.

"The same." He sighed. "But I guess the infection is almost gone so that's something."

"That's great news." She smiled. "I'm glad that the antibiotics are working."

"They should. Dr. Troy's been throwing at least seven or eight different ones into my IV." Bruce complained.

"He's just trying to take care of you." She reasoned.

"I know. It's just that I'm frustrated." He replied. "I'm so bored."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She felt horrible that he was even in this position in the first place, and the fact that she hadn't been able to do anything to help him made the feeling even worse.

"You could stop this thing you have planned with the Joker." He told her.

"I can't do that." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Bruce. I'd do anything to help you but not that. That's the one thing I can't do."

"I know." He sighed. "But you can't blame a guy for trying. I don't want to see you get hurt and I have a very bad feeling about this."

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "It's sweet that you care but I have to do this. And besides, my plan is working so far."

"Yes." He shook his head in disapproval. "I've seen the news reports. Forgive me if I don't say congratulations."

"I know you don't approve of this whole thing but would it kill you to admit that I might know what I'm doing here?" She laughed. "Look at what I've accomplished so far."

"Yeah. You gassed an entire warehouse full of people." He pointed out.

"They only lost consciousness for a few minutes." She argued. "And it was a much better fate than if I hadn't intervened. If I let the original plan happen they would all be dead right now."

"But you still put their lives at risk." He said. "I'm sure there was a better way to stop him without hurting those people. Lacy, ever since you came back you've acted like a different person. Your quest to make the Joker pay for what he's done is changing you, and not for the better."

"I don't need a lecture from you." She snapped. "And they weren't hurt. No one was hurt. Besides that, I've prevented him from doing any more damage to the city…"

"And you've taunted him profusely." Bruce added. "You've made him the joke of the city. He's going to be pissed off at you even more now because you keep goading him."

"I can handle the Joker." She assured him. She saw the look on his face and knew what he was going to say. "I may not have been able to in the past but I can now."

"I can't help but think that this is going to blow up in your face. I still think you should leave Gotham and disappear again." Bruce sighed, resigning himself to the fact that no matter what he said, she wasn't going to change her mind.

"I can't do that." She shook her head. "I've come this far. I need to see this plan out to its conclusion."

"And what's going to happen after that?" He questioned. "Say you manage to take out the Joker and your plan works. What are you going to do after that?" He had been thinking about her future for the past few days and wasn't sure what she was going to do once this was over.

"I'll worry about that if that happens." She replied, looking away from him. Instead she focused her attention on his blanket, absentmindedly running her fingers along the stripes.

He noted that she said 'if' instead of 'when'. It made him even more worried. He had begun to fear lately that she wasn't very interested in coming away from the final confrontation with the Joker alive. He worried that she would try to kill him at all costs, even if that meant she had to die too.

He chose to let that go for now. He would save that concern for a later time. Right now he had another concern. "Who are you working with?"

She looked up at him, surprised by his question. "What do you mean?"

"Who are you working with?" He repeated the question.

"What makes you think I'm working with someone?" She asked, trying to dodge the question because she knew he wouldn't like the answer.

"I don't mean to imply that you're not resourceful but you have to be working with someone." He explained. "How else would you have been able to switch the canisters with a less toxic substance? You have to be working with someone. So who is it?"

"I don't think you want to know." She shook her head.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know." He countered.

"You're not going to like it." She warned.

"Try me." He smiled.

"You have to promise not to get mad at me." She held out her pinkie. "Pinky swear?"

He laughed at the childhood notion of a pinky swear. "I don't pinky swear anymore."

She put her hand down and sighed. "Then at least promise you won't get mad."

"I promise I will try not to get mad." He told her. "That's the best I can do."

She figured that would have to do. She was conflicted about telling him but figured it wouldn't really hurt anything. It's not he could do anything about it anyway. "Ok. I struck a deal with Maroni." She braced herself for the yelling that she assumed was going to take place. Instead, there was silence.

Maroni. Vincent Maroni. She has gone to the mob? He couldn't believe it. Didn't she know how dangerous that was? How could she be so naïve? He wanted to yell at her, but realized it wouldn't do any good. She had her mind made up about this and no amount of yelling was going to deter her.

"You aren't going to say anything?" She finally asked, tired of the silence.

"What can I say?" Bruce threw his arms up in defeat. "I think you know how I feel about the mob, and especially Vincent Maroni. Why should I waste my time trying to convince you not to do something you're going to go ahead and do anyway?"

"I know you don't like Vincent or trust him. But I need his help and his connections to beat the Joker." Lacy explained.

"Why couldn't you have used my help or my connections?" He questioned.

"Do you really want the truth about that?" She asked. When she saw him shake his head she continued. "The Joker is a criminal without a conscience. Maroni is too. But you, you aren't like them. You still have a soul and I can't see you being able to go through with my plans. There's a lot of deception and other things that you wouldn't necessarily agree with. I'm keeping you out of this to protect you from it."

"So this basically goes back to your belief that I don't have it in me to kill the Joker?" He laughed.

"Well, yeah." She agreed. "I guess that's one way to put it. I guess it's just easier to fight a criminal with another criminal's help."

"I could kill him if I had another chance." Bruce protested.

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I don't think you could. And that's ok because that's what makes you such a good hero and a good man." She glanced at her watch. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'll be here." He said.

* * *

"Find out everything you possibly can about an Angela Vandelay." The Joker told Will. He had brought Will in and sent him to the basement where all the computer equipment was held. Will was the most technologically savvy guy he had on his team and would be able to hack into any mainframe to get the information he needed.

"Sure thing." Will replied, starting to type.

"And make sure you do it quickly." The Joker added. "This is very important."

"No problem." Will answered, not looking up from the computer screen. "It shouldn't take too long."

"Good." He smiled. "I'll be somewhere in the house. Just text me when you have the information ready." He left the basement and entered the living room, waiting for Harley to come back.

He didn't know what to do about Harley. While he couldn't be 100 % sure from the blurry cell phone picture Dale sent him that it was Lacy at the table with Harley, he couldn't say it wasn't her either. He decided to wait until he found out more information about everything before jumping to any conclusions.

It took about a half hour before he heard the front door open and someone enter. He stood up and walked towards the door, seeing Harley walk into the kitchen. She hadn't seen him yet and he followed her, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

He watched her get a yogurt out of the refrigerator. She then turned and caught sight of him.

"You're back!" She exclaimed, throwing her yogurt down and running over to him. She threw her arms around his neck and held on to him tightly. "Oh, you don't know how good it is to see you. I thought you were never coming back. I thought you were so mad at me that you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me anymore."

She pulled away from him slightly so that she could look at his face. "You aren't still mad at me, are you? Because I swear I didn't mean for the warehouse thing to blow up in your face like it did."

"I know." He told her, pulling her closer to him. He figured that until he had proof that Harley was either a traitor or an innocent, he would continue to treat her as if things were good between them. That meant he had to make her believe he wasn't mad at her anymore.

"Really?" She asked, hoping that it was true.

"Really." He assured her. "I am just frustrated with the way things are going right now. I know that you wouldn't do anything to sabotage me. Right?"

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "The only reason I set up the warehouse thing was to please you. I never meant to cause you trouble."

"I know." He told her.

She leaned in to kiss him but groaned when his phone started to go off. "Can't you ignore it for a moment?" She asked, watching him reach for his phone.

"No." He shook his head. The caller id was Will so it was important. If he already had the information he had asked for he would be impressed. "What?"

"You need to come down here and see what I've found out. You're not going to believe it." Will said.

"I'll be there in a moment." He said before ending the call. He turned his attention back to Harley, giving her a long, slow kiss. "I have to take care of something in the basement but I'll be back as soon as possible. Maybe then we can continue this."

She smiled and gave him another quick kiss. "I'd like that."

He turned away from her and started to head towards the basement. There was something in Will's tone of voice that made him believe that he wasn't going to like what Will had to tell him. He hoped he was wrong.


	32. Chapter 32

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Two

"What have you found?" The Joker asked Will as he came down the stairs and walked over to the computer station.

"You're not going to believe this, and you're definitely not going to like it." Will cautioned. "I did a search for Angela Vandelay just as you requested. I only came up with two matches. One was a 98-year old grandmother living in the Narrows. I doubted that you would care about her so I looked into the other one and the other one was, well, Harley."

"What do you mean it's Harley?" He questioned, wanting to know exactly what Will had found out. He had to know the truth about Harley, no matter what.

"It seems that Harley's real name is Angela Vandelay. She was hired by the police a few days after you were arrested as part of an undercover operation. The operations' codename is J.O.Y., which stands for Jokes On You. I looked into it more and apparently the police realized that you would try to escape at some point so they planted Harley in Arkham as your psychiatrist to keep an eye on you."

"Is she even a real psychiatrist?" The Joker asked, feeling his rage start to return.

"Yes," Will answered, "she is. She's got all the right degrees. But she has been working with the police ever since you met her as their spy."

"I see." He growled.

"I printed it all out for you." Will said, presenting him with a huge stack of papers. "Everything is in there. Harley's personnel record as well as the J.O.Y. operation file."

The Joker took the packet of papers, starting to scan them. As he read, his eyes narrowed. "This can't be. Is this for real?"

"I'm afraid so." Will replied sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks for getting this so quickly." He said. "Now get out of here."

Will was glad to get out of there, knowing that the Joker was furious and would be taking out his anger on whomever he came into contact with. Luckily it wouldn't be him.

He sat down in the chair Will had been using and continued to read the documents, settling on Harley's personnel record for a moment. Will was right. The start date of her employment was only a few days after his arrest. She had been brought in as an undercover agent and given the dual job of being his psychiatrist and keeping an eye on him.

The case files indicated that she was giving the police regular updates about her progress of insinuating herself into his life and also letting them know about his plans to escape. She was also the one telling them about his plans for chaos now that he had escaped.

She was the traitor in his organization.

Reading further into the report, he saw that his wife was also a part of the J.O.Y. operation. She was the one helping Harley insinuate herself into his life and coaching both her and the police on how to deal with him.

He could feel the blinding rage build within him and he released a guttural growl. He now not only had proof that Lacy was still alive but he had proof that Harley was a traitor. He wondered if everything Harley had said to him was just a part of her scheme to get into his good graces. He hated to think that she was such a traitor, but the proof was in his hands.

She was supposed to be his second chance, his masterpiece. He was going to turn her into everything he wanted Lacy to be. But now he saw that was impossible. She had to be dealt with accordingly.

* * *

Lacy entered her temporary apartment and leaned against the door, lightly banging her head against it a few times. She felt bad about the way she left things with Bruce, but she felt like she needed to get out of there.

Maybe telling him that she was working with Vincent was a bad idea but it wasn't like he could really do anything about it—except make her feel bad. She knew he was hurt that she didn't come to him for help dealing with the Joker. But what was she supposed to do? He would have never gone along with her plans. She needed someone who wasn't afraid to get their hands dirty and break some laws.

Bruce just wasn't that person. Sure he broke several laws every time he went out as Batman, but that was different. He was protecting people. He was fulfilling a noble cause. As much as she wanted to pretend that what was doing was to protect the city from the Joker, she realized what it really was—revenge.

Pure and simple revenge. That's the primary force driving her. Revenge for everything he has taken away from her and from Bruce. Revenge for making her feel like she couldn't do anything to stop him for so many years. Revenge for making her feel like she needed him and manipulating her. Revenge for taking away so many people from both her life and from Bruce's.

She moved away from the door, heading to the bathroom. After splashing some cold water onto her face she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Bruce's words were still ringing in her head.

_Ever since you came back you've acted like a different person. Your quest to make the Joker pay for what he's done is changing you, and not for the better._

She took a good look at herself, staring into her own eyes and seeing what he meant. Somewhere along the way her eyes had lost the last bit of shine and sparkle they once possessed. The Joker had finally succeeded in driving away all of the light in her eyes.

It wasn't just that though. She sighed, moving out of the bathroom and sitting on the edge of her bed. She knew that what he said was right. She had changed, and not for the better. But in order to beat the Joker you have to play his games, think like him, and not be afraid to act like him.

She didn't like working with Vincent. She knew it was a dangerous move on her part and that she couldn't fully trust Vincent not to double-cross her. But it was something that had to be done.

Truthfully she didn't like a lot of the things she had to do recently. Breaking Crane out of Arkham had been a difficult decision. The last thing she wanted to do was let him back out into the public domain after everything he did in the past but he was a necessary part of her plan so she had no choice.

Setting up that warehouse party was another thing she didn't like doing, mostly because she was worried that she wouldn't be able to pull everything off and that somehow all those people would die. She couldn't have handled it if things had gone wrong and they died.

But the thing she really didn't like doing, the thing that was plaguing her conscience the most, was sacrificing Harley. Having Vincent's tech guy hack into the police mainframe and plant all that incriminating evidence against her was a dangerous operation. She doubted that the police would notice since she was going to have it all taken down after she was certain the Joker had seen it.

It was the aftermath of the Joker finding that information she felt guilty about. She knew what the Joker would do if he thought that Harley was a traitor, and could only imagine the things he would do to her. She tried not to think about it, but found it was difficult.

The Joker may be the one to do it, but she was going to be the one responsible for Harley's death.

A part of her thought that Harley deserved her fate for willing attaching herself to someone as dangerous and psychotic as the Joker. And Harley wasn't exactly the brightest person in the world, letting her feelings blind herself to the fact that the Joker would never return the love she professed to him. She was easily manipulated and very naïve.

Then there was another part of her that believed Harley didn't deserve the fate that was awaiting her. She knew from experience that when the Joker wants to kill you, he makes it hurt. He enjoys taking his time and extracting as much pain from his victim as possible.

Lacy still felt bad about the whole thing. It wasn't like she hated Harley. Sure she didn't exactly like that the Joker had chosen Harley to replace her, but she wasn't best friends with the woman either.

She wasn't proud of her actions concerning Harley and it made her think that Bruce was right when he accused her of changing. A few years ago she never would have believed that she would be in this situation. But as the times change, she too must change.

Still plagued by these thoughts, she made her way to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of wine. Drinking the entire bottle wouldn't solve her problems, but might make her be able to sleep tonight.

* * *

When Harley woke up she found herself in a dark room with her arms and legs chained to the wall. "What the hell?" She questioned softly. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on the bed in the safe house. Several questions popped into her head.

Where was she now and why was she chained to a wall? Where the Joker? Was he ok? Who brought her here? And what did they plan on doing to her?

Fear crept up into her heart as she heard a door creak open. Heavy footsteps announced the arrival of someone.

"Who's there?" She meekly asked the darkness. But there was no answer. For a moment she wondered if the person had left the room. She found out that they hadn't when she felt someone grab her hair and yank her head back. It was then that she felt the cool blade of a knife on her throat.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" She whispered trembling with fear.

"You know who I am." He replied, moving the blade up towards her left ear and slicing the skin behind the ear. It was a small, shallow cut and only a small stream of blood trickled down her neck.

"Mistah J?" She questioned. "What's going on? Why am I chained up?"

"I see you're still playing your part." He laughed.

"What part?" She asked, confused by this. "What are you talking about?"

"I know that you have been working against me. I know who you have been working with." He told her. "I know all about it and I am not happy. Not. One. Bit."

"I'm not working against you." She assured him, trying to get him to understand. "I would never work against you. I love you…"

"Silence!" He yelled, yanking her head back even more and causing her to cry out in pain. "I don't want to hear another word from you. You are a traitor and traitors must pay for their treason."

"No, no I'm not!" She exclaimed. "Puddin, you have to believe me. I love you and I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Denying it won't help you." He told her, releasing his grip on her hair and moving to turn on the lights. "But this is going to take a while and I don't want to have to listen to you babble the whole time." He grinned wickedly. "Thankfully, I have the perfect solution to that problem."

He grabbed her face by the chin. "Open up your mouth."

"Why?" She asked slowly. It was now that she looked into his eyes and saw the crazed look. For the first time in her life she was truly afraid for her life and wondered what she had done to make him turn on her like this. Was he still mad about the warehouse incident? He had told her that he wasn't. This made no sense to her.

"Just do it." He commanded.

She shook her head as a thought of why he wanted her to open her mouth popped into her brain. She kept her mouth closed tightly.

He sighed. "That's not going to stop me." He pinched her nose shut, knowing it was only a matter of time before she had to breathe out of her mouth. Sure enough, a few moments later her mouth opened as she gasped for air. With a quick movement he grabbed a hold of her tongue. "Sorry Harleykins, but you won't need this anymore." And with one powerful swipe, he sliced off her tongue.

"Now the fun can really start!" He laughed.


	33. Chapter 33

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Three

Lacy woke up the next morning on the couch, still clutching a now empty wine bottle. Her head hurt slightly and it took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the sunlight that was streaming into the room. She sat up slowly, stretching out.

The wine had done a good job of helping her sleep last night, though she didn't look forward to watching the news. There was little doubt in her mind that the Joker had killed Harley by now. The only questions that remained in her mind were what he had done to her and where he had left her. She took a deep breath before turning on the television.

"_We're here at the steps of the Gotham police headquarters where earlier this morning the body of a dead woman was left. The woman had been beaten and cut several times all over her body, had her tongue cut out, and her throat slashed. Apparently there was a Joker card and a note left on her body. The police aren't releasing the name of the victim or what was on that note. For more on this story, check back with us…" _

Lacy flipped off the television, placing her elbows on her knees and burying her head in her hands. She felt horrible about this whole thing and the worst part was that she had no one to blame for it but herself.

A part of her wished she could take it all back—keep Harley alive by never coming back to Gotham in the first place. But thoughts like that wouldn't help anyone now. Besides, she needed to come back to Gotham to stop the Joker. It was just unfortunate that Harley got caught in the middle, but she was collateral damage—at least that what she kept telling herself.

"Please forgive me." She whispered to the empty apartment.

* * *

The Joker sat in his office, pondering how quiet it was in the house now that Harley wasn't there. He thought back to last night. He hadn't really wanted to kill Harley. But he had to make a statement and let both the police and the city know that he wasn't someone to mess with.

The city had been living in a fools paradise if they truly thought that he could be stopped, and Harley's brutal killing was the way to let them know that he was back and the fear should return. Now that he had taken care of the person turning him into the police, he could feel free to do whatever he wanted to the city again. He had some ideas of what to do but they would have to wait until after he took care of Lacy.

And the police needed to be shown that he wasn't going to let them manipulate him. They really should have known not to send in someone undercover to try and bring him down. They should have known that when he found out it would spell certain death for the people involved. But they did it anyway and had to pay the consequences for their actions.

He should have been able to see that Harley was a traitor sooner but got blinded by her pretty face and complacent attitude. After being with Lacy, who loved the man he used to be, it was nice to be with someone like Harley. He wanted to believe that she truly loved the man he was.

Even though he didn't love her back, he still had a special fondness for her and thought that once he took care of Lacy for good maybe he could focus more attention on her. But that was inconsequential now.

With Harley taken care of, he could now focus his attention on Lacy. She had to pay for her role as well. Helping the police try to sabotage him was the worst thing she could have done. Now he was going to have to kill her and make it twice as bad as the last time.

He had no idea where she was right now but he did have a pretty good idea of who would. He grinned as he thought about what he was going to do.

* * *

"Well, I am impressed." Vincent clapped at Lacy when he saw her.

"By what?" Lacy asked.

"I had my tech guy give me a copy of what you had him put on the police mainframe. It was very clever the way you made the Joker believe that Harley was the traitor in his organization. You had to have known what his reaction would be though. So why do it?"

"I have my reasons." Lacy replied, wishing she didn't have to talk about this with Vincent. Harley's death was the last thing she wanted to even think about right now.

"But doesn't it erase all the work you have done trying to get the Joker to feel helpless and not in control?" Vincent questioned. "Not to mention the fact that now the city is going to start fearing him again after what he did to Harley. That was pretty disgusting."

"It's unfortunate that I had to undo some of the work I've done trying to get this city to stop fearing him but trust me, it's all part of the plan." She replied.

"Harley should have known that she wouldn't get the fairy tale ending with the Joker that she so desperately wanted. He's not that kind of man. Sooner or later he would have found a reason to get rid of her. I was only speeding that process up." She felt she had to justify that out loud to hopefully rid herself of some of her guilt. So far it wasn't working.

He recognized that she was trying to justify Harley's death and decided to take pity on her by not mentioning it again. "You know, the Joker has been spreading the word about you being alive. There's even a reward for information on you."

"Really?" She knew the Joker would try something like that and looked closely at Vincent. "You aren't thinking about selling me out now, are you?"

He laughed. "No. Why would I sell you out? I like you and I hate the Joker. Giving you up to him would be counter-productive and wasteful. One thing I am not is wasteful."

She was satisfied with his response and sighed. "He'll be aggressively trying to strike against me soon and I need to get everything ready a lot sooner than I originally planned."

"How much sooner are we talking about?" Vincent questioned.

"A few days, maybe a week at the most." She replied.

"That's not a lot of time to get everything together that you've asked for." He complained.

"I trust you to make it work and get it done." She told him.

He sighed. "I'll find a way to get it done."

"Thanks." She smiled. "I will check in with you later."

"Fine." He nodded. "And Lacy? Be careful. The Joker's going to be out for your blood and there might be people who would be willing to sell you out."

"I'll keep that in mind." She replied as she let his office. She had to get out of there and decided to go visit Bruce and Alfred. Maybe they could make her feel better.

* * *

"Why would he kill Dr. Quinzel?" Locke asked Gordon. "She was the one who helped him escape from Arkham. Right?"

"Yes." Gordon nodded. "Maybe he thought she had outlived her usefulness?"

"But that still doesn't explain the note he left with her or why he would leave her on the steps of the police station." Locke observed, re-reading the note.

_Bet you all thought you were smart, making me look like a fool. Well the jokes on you now. This is just the beginning of the reckoning. _

"I get that he would think that we are making him look like a fool because, well, we are." Locke chuckled. "We've been able to stay one step ahead of him for days now because of the informant. But why would he kill Dr. Quinzel? Do you think she might have been the informant?"

"It's possible." Gordon agreed. "She definitely would have access to the information, although it seems weird for her to be the person telling us his plans. She willingly helped him escape. Why would she want to put him back in jail?"

"I've realized that when it comes to anything Joker-related I have to disregard most of my logic." Locke replied.

"That's certainly true." Gordon chuckled softly. "I'm just wondering what kind of reckoning he's planning."

"Something tells me that we don't really want to know." Locke commented.

"No." Gordon agreed. "You're probably right."

* * *

"You did what?" Bruce exclaimed angrily. He had just finished hearing Lacy explain about her plan to frame Harley and make it look like she was working for the police, effectively calling her out of the traitor in the Joker's organization. She had apparently made it seem like Harley had betrayed the Joker.

"You heard me." Lacy softly replied. "It's my fault that Harley's dead."

"I can't believe you." Bruce shook his head disapprovingly. "What the hell is wrong with you? You had to know what the Joker would do if he thought that Harley was the traitor."

"Yeah." She nodded. "I did."

"But you did it anyway." He was both angry and concerned about her. Angry because she had caused the death of someone who technically wasn't completely innocent but still probably didn't deserve the kind of death she had received.

He had killed people before when he went out as Batman, but they were usually criminals who he caught in the middle of a crime or died while they were fighting. He had never actually killed someone intentionally.

Lacy couldn't say the same anymore. He could see in her eyes how much this was tearing her up inside and decided to not be too harsh with her. He could see she was punishing herself enough. She didn't need his condemnation.

Concern because this wasn't Lacy's normal behavior. He realized that she was under a lot of stress with this ridiculous plan to kill the Joker, but it was making her do things that she normally wouldn't do.

Like set up Harley knowing that she would end up dying a violent death, dressing like a prostitute with daddy issues, and partnering up with Vincent Maroni.

With every passing day he grew more and more concerned about her. It was almost like she was turning into the Joker, adopting more and more of his values and traits. It was scary but he had no idea how to stop it. Or if he even could.

She didn't seem to like it when he cautioned her or lectured her about his concerns. He could understand it. He didn't like it when other people lectured him either, but he had to find a way to through to her.

He didn't want to see her continue down this dark path that she seemed determined to walk down.

"I know what you're going to say and trust me, I feel horrible about this." She stated. "You were right when you said I've changed since returning to Gotham. I didn't want to admit it before but now I realize I can't deny it anymore."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "When I first started planning this whole thing, I imagined who I would have to become and what I would have to do in order to make these plans happen. I thought I would have to act more confident and be able to think like the Joker. I never thought that I would end up like this."

"Like what?" He questioned.

"Like him." She replied softly. "I'm doing things I never thought in a million years I would ever do and while it's all for a good goal I can't help but think about what it is costing me. When I was setting the plan into motion to frame Harley, I felt bad about it. I really did and I still do—even more so now that she's really dead. But there was also another part of me that felt proud and kind of excited by what I was doing."

She hated saying this out-loud to him, afraid that he would think less of her and end up hating her. "It was weird but there have been times through-out this whole thing that I've actually had fun. It scares me because the last thing I want is to become like him but I can see how easy it would be to become tempted by the thought."

She noted that he wasn't saying anything and had a thoughtful look on his face. "Does that make me a horrible person? Do you want me to leave and never come back?"

"No." He shook his head. "I don't hate you. I hate your choices. You need to stop this plan right here and now. This is getting way to dangerous for your physical and mental safety. You need to leave town today."

"That's the funny thing." She countered. "I can't leave. I have to see this thing through to the end. I've come so far already. I can finish this."

"I don't want to see you become like him." He told her.

"Trust me, I don't want that either." She told him, giving him a small smile. "And it won't happen. I'm going to make sure of it."


	34. Chapter 34

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Sorry for the sporadic updates. I have a very busy week coming up so I might have to switch to updating this story every other day. Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Alfred asked Bruce as the younger man held on to him for support.

"I'm sure Alfred. This is the only way I'll get my strength back." Bruce replied. Over the past week the swelling around his spine had cleared up. Once that happened, he was able to regain feeling in his legs and started to regain mobility.

So for the past couple of days, he would have Alfred help him get out of the bed and walk around at least three times a day. The first time he tried it he could barely get out of the bed. But each time he found it got a little easier and he was hoping to be back on his feet soon.

"I can't help but think you are rushing your recovery." Alfred commented with a sigh. "You suffered a severe injury and shouldn't be moving around like this. Dr. Troy agrees with me too. You could pull stitches or hurt yourself worse than before. You have to take it easy."

"I can't do that." Bruce refused, shaking his head adamantly. "This city needs Batman right now. Lacy needs Batman. I can't let everyone down. I've been gone for far too long. I need to stop what's happening."

While he understood that Bruce wanted to save Lacy from both the Joker and herself, he wasn't too thrilled about the way he was choosing to do so. "I can't help but think that this is wrong and I won't apologize for my opinion."

"I would never ask you to." Bruce told him. "But you have to respect my decision because this is my life and my body. I know my limits."

"If I didn't respect your decision I wouldn't be helping you right now." Alfred pointed out.

Bruce grinned at that comment. "I think I'm making good progress."

"You are doing well." Alfred agreed. "I don't mean to keep harping on you, but would you mind telling me exactly why you haven't told Lacy about your progress?" Lacy was still under the impression that the swelling hadn't gone down and that Bruce couldn't feel his legs. For some reason, Bruce had made him promise not to tell Lacy otherwise.

"She has enough to worry about right now trying to stay one step ahead of the Joker." Bruce reasoned. "Besides that, if she knew she would try to stop me. And unlike you, she wouldn't respect my decisions."

He felt bad about not telling Lacy and letting her believe that he was still as bad off as he was before. But he felt it necessary to keep her in the dark about his recovery. If she knew that he was getting better she would start worrying that he would interfere with her plans and that could distract her. Distractions were the last thing she needed right now.

So he would wait and keep working on his rehabilitation. If he was lucky, maybe he could stop her from executing the final phase of her plan.

* * *

Lacy walked into Vincent's office with her head held high. Although she was still fighting the internal struggle over her actions regarding Harley and felt guilty about everything she was determined to continue on with her plans.

After all, if she didn't then Harley died for nothing and she didn't want that to be the case.

"Wow." Vincent raised his eyebrow at her appearance.

"What?" She asked, not sure why he was wowing her.

"You look different." He explained.

She realized what he was talking about. "Oh. I took out the colored contacts and dyed my hair back to its normal color last night."

"Why go back now?" He questioned.

"Well I had concealed my appearance when I left Gotham two years ago in the hopes of preventing the Joker from knowing I was alive. Now I don't care because he knows I'm alive. So I might as well go back to my old self." She replied. "Besides, I didn't really like the black hair that much anyway. It was too gothic for me."

"Your natural color suits you better." He complimented.

"Ok." She gave him a small smile. "I didn't come here to gab about my hair. I came to see what progress you've made with the warehouse."

"Everything is set up just as you wanted it." Vincent reported. "Though it was hard to get everything done in such short time."

"But it wasn't impossible." She pointed out. "And you've had a week."

"Still, even a week almost wasn't enough time." He pointed out. "Your specifications were quite complex."

"I know." She acknowledged her complexity. But she had a very specific plan and needed everything to be absolutely perfect. One misstep and everything could blow up in her face.

* * *

The Joker stood outside Bruce's penthouse. For the past few days he had his men canvassing the penthouse, looking for any way inside. He wasn't surprised that Wayne had increased security. After all, he had gotten in here quite easily a few years ago during the Harvey Dent fundraiser. Now it was slightly more difficult--but not impossible. Nothing was impossible for him.

Within minutes he and his men had fought their way inside to the building and were now in the elevator on the way up to Bruce's penthouse. No one in the city had been able to tell him where Lacy was or had any clue as to if she was even in the city.

He doubted that she could be so invisible. Someone had to know where she was. He had questioned the bartender at the dive bar that Harley had been seen meeting with Lacy, but the bartender had no clue about Lacy's whereabouts.

There had been several leads that came in but each one turned out to be a dead end. So with no other clues to her whereabouts, he decided to go to the one person in the city who would know where Lacy was. Bruce Wayne. He had thought about going to see him first, but decided to give the criminal information circuit a try first. When that didn't work out he knew he had no other choice but to go see his wife's boyfriend.

He realized that Bruce and his alter ego Batman hadn't been seen out in public for a couple of weeks. The last time he was seen was the night that Will shot him in the back. The next day he had issued a press release saying he was going on an extended vacation and had no idea when he would be back. It was a clever rouse to dissuade the press and his investors from wondering why he wasn't at work or at the numerous parties he normally attended.

Too bad the Joker knew that truth. He must have been hurt pretty badly in order to go to all this trouble to get peace from the press while he recovered. He smiled at the thought and couldn't wait to see first hand what damage Will's bullet had done to his enemy.

The doors to the penthouse opened and he exited calmly, motioning for his men to head off and find Bruce as well as that butler of his. A few moments later, Alfred was brought to him by one of his men. "Well, well well. Looks like we get to meet again. How are you doing?"

Alfred didn't say a thing, just looked at the Joker with distaste and hatred.

"That's not very polite." The Joker shook his head disapprovingly. "But whatever. Where's Bruce?" Still, Alfred didn't say a word. "Doesn't matter. I'll find him anyway."

"Boss?" Will asked hesitantly as he came back into the foyer.

"What?" The Joker hissed.

"I found him." Will replied.

"So bring him here." He commanded impatiently.

"It might be easier for you to go to him." Will explained.

The Joker sighed and motioned for his other guy to bring Alfred along as they followed Will to Bruce's room. He laughed at the sight of Bruce lying in the hospital bed. Then he looked over at Will. "You know, when you shoot someone you sure do know how to do a lot of damage."

Will looked proud as he received the first ever genuine compliment from his boss. "Thanks."

"Don't get cocky." He chastised. He then turned his attention to Bruce. "So what's wrong with you?" His question was met with silence. He was beginning to be annoyed by that. First Alfred gave him the silent treatment and now Bruce.

Will went over and picked up Bruce's medical chart, which hadn't been updated to show his recent progress. "Looks like the bullet nicked the spine and he's paralyzed."

"Ouch." The Joker winced. "That sounds like it would hurt. But I guess you wouldn't be able to feel it anyway." He laughed at his inappropriate joke. "But look, I didn't come here to pay you a visit and chit chat. I came to find out where Lacy is."

"She's dead." Bruce laughed. "You killed her two years ago. Or did you forget that?"

"Ha ha." The Joker fake laughed. "Very funny, but you and I both know that she's really still alive and in Gotham. So what I need from you is a location. Where is she?"

"I don't know." Bruce said, not considering it a lie. He really didn't know where she was staying or what she was doing right now. She had been very secretive about those details.

"Somehow I just don't believe you." He told Bruce. "I know you have to have had some kind of communication with her." He spied Bruce's cell phone and moved quickly to grab it. "Maybe I can find the answers I'm seeking from this."

* * *

Vincent had just finished showing Lacy the photos of the warehouse and explaining everything that his men had done to the place when her cell phone rang.

"Excuse me." She told him, pulling out her cell phone and looking at the caller id. She walked to the corner of Vincent's room and answered. "I'm kind of busy right now. Can I call you back later?"

"Of course you can sweetheart but I can't guarantee that your boyfriend and his butler will be alive if you don't talk to me right now." The Joker crooned.

She froze and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. The Joker was on Bruce's cell phone, which meant he had gotten into the penthouse. Damn.

After a few seconds she composed herself. "What do you want?"

"Now is that any way to talk to your husband who hasn't seen you in two years?" He laughed. "I don't get a hello or how are you doing? I find that kind of rude."

"Well I found your attempt at killing me rather rude." She shot back, walking back over to Vincent and writing a note to let him know who was on the phone.

"Fair enough." He chuckled. "I guess we're even then."

"We're not even." She told him. "We're not close to being even."

"So I guess you're still mad about what happened? You really need to let that go. It's water under the bridge." He laughed again. "Oops. Sorry. Didn't mean to bring up water. Is that a sore subject for you too seeing as how you were almost drowned?"

She let that comment go. "You have Bruce's cell phone so you are obviously with him right now. Let me speak to him. I want to know if they are ok."

"Well I normally don't give in to other people's demands, but I guess I can make an exception for you this one time." He shoved the phone into Bruce's face. "Your girlfriend wants to check on you."

"Bruce?" She called out. "Are you and Alfred alright?"

"We're fine." Bruce assured her. "Don't do whatever he wants though…"

"That's enough." The Joker said, yanking the phone away from Bruce. "So now you know that they are ok."

She was relived to hear Bruce say they were fine, but needed to figure out how to keep them that way. "What is it that you want?"

"I just want to see you." He told her. "It's been a long time and I think a family reunion is in order." He explained.

She knew she had no choice but to meet with him. It wasn't part of her plan but sometimes plans needed to be altered. "Where do you want to meet? Should I come there?"

"No." He answered. "Let's meet at the place where we last saw each other—the docks that I took you to two years ago."

She couldn't help but be amused that he apparently still hadn't figured out that she was the one with whom he danced at the Halloween party. She would enjoy telling him about that. "Fine, but only on one condition. You leave Bruce and Alfred alone and don't hurt them."

"You sure do have an affinity for them, don't you?" He wasn't surprised that she would throw that clause into the mix. He had expected it from her. "But what makes you think that you have any power or influence over this? I'm the one that has the hostages, not you."

He laughed. "If you refuse to come see me I will simply kill them both. And I think we both know that poor old Bruce doesn't have the strength to fight back. He might even be easier to kill than the old guy."

"I know you. You wouldn't want to kill him right now. It wouldn't be fun for you if he couldn't fight back." She explained. "Besides, it's me you want, not them. So you'll agree to my terms."

"Alright." He conceded. Truthfully, he hadn't planned on hurting Alfred or Bruce today anyway. His focus was Lacy and he would deal with Bruce later. "I'll agree to your terms and leave them the way I found them."

"Good." She replied, hoping that he was telling the truth and that Bruce and Alfred would be ok. But with the Joker, anything was possible. "And I will meet you at the docks. What time?"

"Eight 'o' clock tonight." He answered. "And be sure to come alone. I don't want the police hanging around."

"There will be no police. I promise." She told him, and she wasn't making a false promise. The police wouldn't be there tonight. But Vincent's men would be.

"Good." He replied. "I'll see you tonight my love. We have so much to catch up on."

"Yes we do." She whispered as she hung up the phone.


	35. Chapter 35

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Five

"So what just happened here?" Vincent asked. He had only heard Lacy's part of the conversation and it left some questions in his mind. She had said Bruce and he figured that she was talking about Bruce Wayne.

He knew that those two had some kind of relationship in the past but he wondered if they were still close. She hadn't said anything about him until now, but from the look on her face he could see that she cared about him.

"The Joker's made his move towards me." Lacy explained, her mind racing. "I have to meet him at the docks where he tried to kill me at eight tonight. I'm going to need your help."

"What do you need?" Vincent asked, willingly to help her in any way he could.

"I'll need the use of your men. I don't know an exact number yet. When I figure that out I'll let you know." She explained. "But right now I have to go take care of something."

"Where are you going?" He questioned. It was one in the afternoon right now, leaving them with only seven hours before she had to meet with the Joker. They should be strategizing and coordinating their moves.

"Out." She replied curtly. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

The Joker sat in the back of his van as they headed back to his safe house. True to his word he hadn't hurt Bruce or his butler. But he did tie Alfred to a chair before he left. He left Bruce alone because he figured that Bruce wouldn't be able to get up anyway so tying him to the bed seemed redundant. He also figured Lacy would be coming by to check on them shortly and had considered leaving a listening device so he could know what they talked about, but decided against it.

Tonight he was going to end this thing with Lacy once and for all. While a part of him did still want her around, a larger part of him was angry over her betrayal. Going to the police and helping them try to take him down was probably the worst kind of betrayal he could imagine her committing—even worse than when she cheated on him with Bruce.

She had to be taught a lesson and although a part of him would miss her, she was too much of a liability to leave her alive anymore.

He had plans for her death, plans that would be even more devastating than the first attempt. This time, there would be no way for her to escape her fate. This time, there would be no Batman to save her life. This time, he was going to watch as the last bit of life left her body.

And he was going to enjoy it.

* * *

Lacy made her way over to Bruce's penthouse, carefully going into the secret entrance and making sure no one was following her. Before going to the elevator she headed to the command center. There were several cameras placed in the penthouse which could be monitored from here. Alfred had told her all about it when he first told her about the secret entrance. She remembered the password to enter the system and started scanning the cameras.

She wanted to make sure that the Joker and his men weren't in the penthouse before going up there. She wanted to know what she was facing. Coming to see Bruce so soon after the Joker was there was dangerous and she just wanted to make sure that there were no surprises.

She scanned the penthouse and didn't see any of the Joker's men; however, what she saw in Bruce's room surprised her greatly. She had to do a double-take because at first she didn't believe her eyes. But it was all there on the screen in a clear picture.

Bruce was walking!

He seemed to be walking from his bed over to the chair that Alfred was tied to, and although he wasn't walking fast he was steady on his feet. She couldn't believe it. Since when did Bruce discover that he could feel his legs? How long had he been up walking around? Why was he lying to her about it?

She couldn't help but be slightly angry and hurt by his omissions. By the look of his strides, this wasn't the first time he had gotten out of that bed. So why didn't he say anything? Why keep it a secret? Didn't he know how much she worried about him and how overjoyed she would be to know that he wasn't going to be permanently paralyzed?

She sighed, unsure of what to do. Obviously he hadn't told her for a reason. Although she didn't know what the reason could possibly be, she decided to let it go. She wouldn't let him know that she knew about the progress he was making in his recovery.

She waited until she saw Alfred help Bruce back into his bed before switching off the monitors and heading upstairs.

"I can't let her go tonight." Bruce told Alfred as he got back into bed. "He'll kill her. That's what he wants to do. That's the reason why he wants to see her."

"Probably." Alfred nodded. "And you know that I want to help Lacy just as much as you do but there is nothing you can do about this. You aren't well enough to put the Batman suit back on and go out tonight. If you go off trying to save Lacy you'll probably end up hurting her more than helping."

"I don't agree…" Bruce argued, stopping when he saw Lacy appear in the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check up on you two." She told them, stepping into the room. "Are you guys ok? Did he hurt you at all?"

"No."Alfred shook his head.

"He's too focused on killing you to worry about us yet." Bruce noted. "Tell me you aren't really going to meet him tonight."

"I can't do that." She shook her head and saw the disapproving look on his face. "I'm sorry Bruce, but this is something I have to do."

"No you don't!" He argued. "You still have time. You can still fly far, far away from here and never come back."

"It would never work, especially now that he knows I'm alive." She pointed out. "Besides, this is what I've been waiting for. This is what I've been planning for. All this time I have prepared myself for this confrontation. I'm not going to run away like I'm scared, because I'm not. I'm no longer afraid of him."

"You should be." Bruce sighed. "Who knows what he has planned for you."

"Who says I don't have things planned for him?" She countered. "I know you disapprove of this and would like nothing more than for me to disappear and live the rest of my life away from here and him, but it's not going to happen. I have to face my destiny. It's time I end this once and for all."

She sighed. "Look, I just came by to make sure you two were ok. I have other things I need to do before tonight." She turned to leave but Bruce grabbed a hold of her wrist. She turned around. "What?"

"Please." He softly said. "Please don't go tonight." He knew that she was committed to killing the Joker at all cost and realized this might be the last time he saw her alive.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head. "I have to." She turned to face Alfred. "Can I talk to you for a moment out in the hall?"

"Of course." Alfred nodded, following her out to the hallway.

She pulled two envelopes out and handed them to him. "Here are two letters. One is to you and the other is to Bruce. Please don't read them until tomorrow."

"I understand." Alfred replied, putting the notes in his jacket pocket. Then he pulled her into a hug. "Don't do anything foolish, ok? Cause there are people here who care about you."

Now she felt guilty about what she was going to do, but had to keep reminding herself that this was all for the best. "I won't." She lied, pulling away from the hug. Softly, she added, "And please try to keep Bruce here. Don't let him follow me tonight."

He looked at her face. "You know he's able to walk around, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah and I couldn't be happier about it. But I'm not going to need to be rescued tonight. Try to make him understand that."

"I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything." Alfred smiled sadly.

"You're the best." She smiled back. "Goodbye Alfred." She walked away quickly so that she wouldn't be tempted to stick around. She also didn't say goodbye to Bruce because she wasn't sure how to. Besides, everything she needed to say to him was written in the letter anyway.

"Goodbye Lacy." He whispered as he watched her walk away.

* * *

"So what is the plan for tonight?" Vincent asked when Lacy came back to his office several hours later. She had apparently changed her clothes while away because now she was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans and a fitted leather jacket with what looked like a red halter top underneath.

"I think I'm going to need about two dozen guys." Lacy replied. She had just gotten off the phone with Dale, who had informed her of the Joker's plans as well as where he was going to have men placed around the docks.

She unrolled a blueprint of the docks and spread it across Vincent's desk, motioning for him to come over and look at it with her.

When he joined her he got a glimpse of the gun she had holstered in her jeans. He wondered if that was her only weapon for her meeting the Joker or if she had more hidden elsewhere.

"Here is where we'll be meeting." She pointed to the blueprint and marked a big X with a permanent marker. "According to my source he's going to have his men stationed on all sides of this, except for in the water." She marked the places where Dale told her the Joker's men were going to be.

"He's really going to have you surrounded." Vincent commented.

"That's what he's going to think." Lacy nodded. "But your men are going to overpower the Joker's men. Now they need to do this quickly, but most importantly quietly. The last thing I need is for the Joker to realize what's happening. I need him to be surprised. So make sure to tell your men several times that they need to dispose of the Joker's men quietly."

"I'll make sure they know the importance of it." Vincent assured her.

"Good." She nodded. "So the warehouse is ready, right?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Everything is set up exactly as you requested."

"Wonderful." She let out a deep breath as she looked at the clock. She only had two hours left until she met with the Joker. "Let's go over the plan. I want to make sure that everyone knows what they have to do."


	36. Chapter 36

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Six

As Lacy drove to the docks she let her mind wander. Everything was going to end tonight. One way or another, there would be finality and her plans would be no more. Either the Joker would succeed in killing her or she would succeed in killing him. It all depended on who gained the most control over the other.

So far, she had been the one in control. She had been the one controlling him like he had puppet strings. She prevented him from killing numerous people and causing countless dollars of destruction. She had controlled the perception the citizens of Gotham held about him. Also, she controlled his relationship with Harley.

Harley was the only person who actually loved him for who he was now. While she had loved him for the man he used to be, Harley loved him for the monster he had become. And now she was going to have the pleasure of telling him that he killed Harley for nothing.

She wasn't completely sure how much it would devastate him. He would probably play it off and pretend that it didn't bother him at all, but she would be able to know the truth. She would be able to see just how much he had actually cared about Harley. Even if he didn't care about her too much, he would still be angry that she was able to manipulate him in that manner and that would be enough for her.

Her thoughts settled briefly on Bruce and Alfred. Her relationship with Bruce was a complicated mess. Even she didn't know how to describe it. The normal labels of friend, boyfriend, ex, and protector didn't seem to explain it thoroughly enough. They had been through a lot together and she cherished the fact that she had gotten to know him.

She had feelings for him; however, she didn't think it was love—at least not in the romantic sense. There were times when she thought she loved him, but she wasn't in love with him. While she was attracted to him she was also a realist and knew that a relationship with him would never work out. There were too many obstacles in their way.

Alfred had been incredibly supportive to her these past years. Although they hadn't communicated everyday, it was always nice to know that she had someone in the world that cared about what happened to her. She hadn't had that in a really long time and it felt nice.

But as nice as it was to have people who cared about her, that made what she was about to go even harder.

She realized she was almost to the docks and knew she had to put on her game face. She had to stall him long enough for Vincent's men to take out the Joker's men. That meant she had to make sure that they stayed on the docks talking for at least fifteen minutes. It wasn't a hard task to undertake, but would still require her to be on guard the whole time.

She arrived at the docks and got out of her car, shutting the door and shoving the key into her pocket. Before leaving Vincent's office she had made sure that her gun was securely tucked into her jeans in the back and that she still had a knife tucked away in each of her boots. They were her insurance policies.

She took a quick glance at her watch and saw that it was 7:58. She was two minutes early, but figured that he was already there so she started to walk towards the back of the warehouse. She was acutely aware of her surroundings, watching everything around her.

After a few moments she turned a corner and saw the Joker standing there, facing her with a huge grin on his face. She took a deep breath and the slowly released it. This was what she had waited a long time for and felt ready. Still, she couldn't help having butterflies in her stomach.

She walked up to him, leaving about six feet of space between them. Standing there stone-faced, she crossed her arms as she stared at his face.

"What?" He acted hurt. "I don't get a hug and kiss? It's been so long since we've seen each other. You're really ruining this perfect reunion moment."

"Sorry." She smirked and chuckled softly. "But it hasn't been that long since we've seen each other."

He looked confused. "What do you mean?"

She didn't hesitate to explain. "Did Harley seem different at all during the Halloween party? Almost like she was two different people?"

He stared at her, remembering that night. Harley had seemed different during the dance they shared. He had just chalked it up to her trying to be more aggressive before settling back into her submissive role. But now that he thought about it more, he realized that it could have been Lacy he danced with. "You mean…"

"Yep. Sorry." She replied, closing the space between them and slowly walking around him as if stalking her prey. "That dance…those kisses…it was all me." She whispered into his ear before moving back to where she had previously been standing.

He laughed. It all made sense to him now. He had no idea how he could have been that blind. Of course it was Lacy! That's why Harley seemed so different—because it wasn't her. He felt like a fool. "Oooh. That's clever."

"Thank you." She smiled. "I knew I had to find some way to sneak that ring and the card into your pocket."

"I have to hand it to you, I'm mildly impressed." He admitted.

"Only mildly?" She questioned.

"Well you're not as clever as I am." He boasted.

"I wouldn't bet on that." She rolled her eyes. She doubted he would continue to be only mildly impressed when she let him know everything that she had been up to since coming back to Gotham.

"That argument is subjective anyway, but it's not why I wanted you to come here tonight." He told her.

"So enlighten me then." She commanded. "Why did you want me to come here tonight?"

"I would like to end this thing we have going on between us." He told her with a smile on his face. "I know you're probably angry about the whole 'attempted murder' thing, but that was two years ago and we need to move past this. There's no reason to bring the police into our personal problems."

He had decided that he would try to appeal to her and get her to believe that he wasn't trying to kill her before he made his move. He figured that with a few select words he would be able to get her eating out of his hand again.

She knew what he was doing. He was trying to get her to lower her guard by making it seem like he didn't want her dead. Well she would play into it for now. "Who says I'm mad about the 'attempted murder' thing?"

He raised his eyebrow as he looked at her. "All I have to do is look at your face and I can see it in your eyes."

"Fair enough." She conceded. "I am still mad about that. But it's only one of the many things I'm still mad about."

"And what I'm suggesting is that we both simply move on." He replied. "Don't you think it's time we both moved past this whole thing?"

"And just how would you suggest we do that?" She asked.

"You stop working with the police and I stop trying to kill you." He explained. "You know, it broke my heart having to kill you before. I almost couldn't do it."

She chuckled. "That's not how I remember it. I remember you were having the time of your life, basking in the fact that you were ending my life."

"Well I am a good actor." He pointed out. "Look, I understand why you went to the police for protection. I wasn't being nice to you. I don't blame you for wanting to protect yourself. But times have changed and you don't need protection from me anymore. In fact, if you wanted to, you could come back to me and we could start over."

She tried desperately not to laugh at his offer. There was no way in hell she would ever get back together with him, not after everything he had done to her. But she had to play along and pretended to consider his offer. "There's only one problem with that offer. I don't trust you."

"I don't trust you entirely either." He admitted. "But I'm willing to try and trust if you are. I've missed you and I think that we can make a good team. Imagine what we could do if we joined forces. You probably have more contacts with the police than I do now and we could cause a lot of chaos together."

She stared at him for a few moments. He was good, she had to give him credit for that. A lesser, more naïve woman would have fallen for this by now, but she wasn't naïve and she knew what he was doing. Still, she would play along for now to keep him talking. "See, I don't know if I could ever trust you."

"I know I've done some things to you that you haven't necessarily liked…" He started.

She laughed and interrupted him. "Well let's see. You killed my boss, my friend Chris, almost killed Alfred and Bruce, almost killed me and carved up my stomach. And that's only a fraction of the things you've done to me."

"Ok." He conceded. "So I may have done a lot of things that you haven't liked. I'm not apologizing for it."

"Of course you aren't." She rolled her eyes. Her gaze fell to behind him, where three of Vincent's men were slowly making their way closer to them. Obviously Vincent's men had been able to complete their task of disabling the Joker's men and were now working on phase two of her plan.

After seeing that, she knew she only had to keep him talking to her for a few more moments. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to reject your less than generous offer though. While I do agree that we need to settle this thing between us, I won't be coming back to you. Why don't you just admit the real reason why you tracked me down and had me meet you here tonight?"

"And what would that real reason be?" He asked. He should have known that she would be too smart to fall for his act this time. But he had hoped she would.

"You want to kill me," she announced, "just like you killed Harley."

He figured he might as well drop his act and admit it. "Ok. You've got me. I might have lured you here with the sole intention of killing you."

She saw that Vincent's men were almost right behind the Joker and smiled. "It's just too bad you won't get the chance to do it."

He laughed. "And why would say that? My men are crawling all around this area and you are all alone here. You, my dear, are outnumbered and outsmarted."

"I wouldn't bet on that." She quipped as two of Vincent's men grabbed on to the Joker's arms. The third placed a black hood over the Joker's face and she moved quickly to inject him with a special tranquilizer that she had Crane manufacture for this occasion.

The Joker struggled against Vincent's men for a few moments before going limp. "Good work guys." She praised. "Now let's move him to the warehouse."


	37. Chapter 37

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Thanks for all of your help with this." Lacy told Vincent as they stood outside the warehouse.

"I'm simply glad that things seem to be working out as you planned." Vincent replied.

"All of the Joker's men are taken care of, right?" She asked, double-checking everything.

"Yes." He nodded. "We dropped them off in front of the police station awhile ago."

"Good." Lacy nodded.

"So what now?" Vincent asked. "What do you need me to do now?"

"I need you and your men to leave." Lacy told him.

"Why?" Vincent asked, suspicious. "You want to be alone with him?"

"We have things to discuss and I don't want an audience." She explained, noticing his hesitance to leave her alone with the Joker. "Look, I know you're worried about me running off somewhere with the Joker and becoming his partner in crime or something. But that's not going to happen. I didn't do all of this and sacrifice everything to run back to him. I just need some privacy for the last phase of my plan."

He could understand that and decided to trust her. "Ok. But why don't I leave a few men here just in case to keep you protected?"

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "So take all of your men and go home."

"Fine." He relented, knowing there was no way to argue with her. "But stop by when you're done, ok?" He intended on collecting his payment for all of his help as soon as she was done with the Joker.

"Alright." She agreed, nodding her head and turning to go into the warehouse. "Now go!"

Vincent watched her leave and smiled. Tonight was going to be a good night. It would see the end of the Joker and hopefully a new beginning with Lacy.

* * *

When the Joker started to wake up, he slowly opened his eyes to get them adjusted to the bright lights. The last thing he remembered was talking to Lacy on the docks and then being held back from behind. Then Lacy injected him with something. Now, as he looked around at his surroundings, he realized he was in a warehouse, tied to a chair with a cloth tied around his mouth to prevent him from talking.

He was beyond angry, and not just with Lacy but also himself and his men. How did the guys who held him back even get past his men? How did he not see this coming? And how in the hell did he let Lacy get the upper hand?

He shouldn't have underestimated her like this. He should have known that she would try something like this. But he didn't, and now he was in this warehouse. He tugged at the knots of his bondage and realized that it wouldn't be impossible for him to break free. But it would take a little bit of time. If only he could reach the knife he kept up his sleeve. Then it would only take a few seconds to break free.

He thought back to what Lacy had told him on the docks. He felt like a fool for not realizing that it was Lacy he had danced with on Halloween instead of Harley. He should have known that those kisses were Lacy's. But she looked identical to Harley that night and he had no reason to believe that Lacy would be that bold and brazen.

Still, he didn't appreciate feeling like he wasn't in control. He especially didn't like that Lacy had him tied to a chair. When he got free, he would definitely make her pay for this.

* * *

"You're in no condition to go out." Alfred told him, watching as Bruce slowly made his way out of the bedroom and towards the secret entrance. He knew where his younger friend was going and wanted to talk him out of it, but knew that he was likely fighting a losing battle.

"I know that you think I shouldn't go, but I have to." Bruce insisted. "Lacy is going to need my help."

"You don't know that for sure." Alfred argued. "You said that she was working with Vincent Maroni. It's possible that he is helping her with her plans."

"Vincent Maroni is scum and I wouldn't trust him to wash a window yet alone help with Lacys' plans." Bruce scowled. "I have no idea why she chose to partner up with him instead of asking for my help."

"I do." Alfred said, causing Bruce to look at him curiously. "Vincent Maroni can help her in ways that you can't, or more accurately, won't. Be honest. If Lacy had come to you with her plans and asked for your help, would you have given it her?"

"No." He replied after thinking about it for a moment. "Because I don't want to see her get hurt."

"And she needed someone on her side that doesn't have that kind of affinity for her." Alfred reasoned. "She also needed someone who wouldn't think twice about committing crimes. Even if you had gotten past your concern for her and agreed to help her, you wouldn't have agreed to go along with the warehouse incident or setting up Harley to take the fall—and who knows what else she's done."

Bruce sighed. "I guess you're right. I wouldn't have been able to help her with that."

"And she knew it." Alfred nodded. "That's why she didn't bother asking for your help. That's why she turned to Vincent Maroni."

"But that still doesn't make me feel any better about this situation." Bruce pointed out as he continued to head towards the secret entrance. "It's almost midnight and we still haven't heard anything from Lacy. She could be anywhere. Hell, for all we know he could have already killed her!"

Alfred followed him, watching as the younger man walked straight for the cell phone tracing equipment. "What are you doing Master Wayne?"

"I'm going to find out where she is." Bruce replied, hooking his cell phone up to the equipment. Once everything was set up, he dialed the phone. It rang several times before she picked up.

"What is it? I'm kind of busy right now." She answered.

"Where are you?" He asked. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." She told him, slightly annoyed that he was calling. She decided to try and change the subject. "How are you doing?"

"Damn it Lacy, this isn't a joke." He told her. "Where are you? What happened with the Joker?"

"Look, I can't talk right now. I appreciate your concern but I'm fine." She hung up on him and turned her phone to silent, knowing that he would most likely be calling her back to continue a conversation that she didn't want to extend.

"She hung up on me." He stared at the phone in disbelief and sighed. Then he went to the machine and typed in a few things.

"Were you able to figure out her location?" Alfred asked, hoping that he wasn't able to. The last thing that Bruce needed to do was go out and try to help Lacy. He needed to rest and recover.

"Yes." Bruce nodded. "She's in a warehouse about a mile away from the place she was meeting the Joker. It shouldn't take me too long to get over there."

"Is there anything I can possibly say to get you to stay here instead of going out?" Alfred asked.

"No." Bruce shook his head.

"Fine." Alfred nodded. "Then I'm coming with you."

* * *

"Everything ok?" Dale asked after Lacy got off the phone. They were in an office off to the side of where the Joker was being held. He was watching the cameras that were placed in the other room to watch the Joker.

"Yeah." Lacy shrugged it off. "Everything's fine." She walked over to the table with the monitors and stood behind Dale. "Looks like he's finally waking up."

"Now what's going to happen?" Dale asked.

"You're going to leave." Lacy told him.

"What?" Dale laughed. "Why? Why would you want to be completely alone with him?" He was aware that she had already made Vincent and his men leave. "Why would you want to be unprotected around him?"

"I'm not unprotected." She argued. "You tied him up tightly, right?"

"Yeah." Dale nodded. "But…"

"And I have a gun and two knives." She explained. "I'm hardly unprotected."

"I just don't think it's smart to be alone with him like that." Dale offered his opinion. "Tied to a chair or not, he's still dangerous."

"Your opinion is dually noted but I don't agree." She told him. "You have to go because the Joker and I have some unfinished business we need to take care of and it's personal."

"Ok." Dale sighed. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"I do." She nodded, hoping that she really did know what she was doing.

"I guess I'll leave then." Dale replied, picking up his jacket and heading to the door.

"Hey Dale?" She called out after him, causing him to turn and face her.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Thanks for everything. I do appreciate your help." She gave him a small smile.

"You don't need to thank me." He told her. "Just make sure he dies in a painful way."

She grinned and chuckled softly. "I intend to." She followed him out, knowing that to get out of the warehouse he would have to pass by where the Joker was being held.

She walked behind Dale, watching the Joker's eyes widen at the realization that Dale had been working with her and against him. She waited until Dale was out of the warehouse until she walked over to the Joker and took away the cloth that was preventing him from speaking.

"Well, it's good to see you are awake." She chuckled. "I was beginning to think that you were going to sleep all night. I told Crane to make sure you'd be out for awhile but I never expected it to be almost four hours."

"Crane?" The Joker gritted his teeth. "You had Crane drug me?"

"Yep." She nodded happily. "And he was ever so glad to do it. I wonder why. Oh yeah, maybe because you tried to kill him too."

"Did you break him out of Arkham?" He asked, trying to put the pieces together. If she was working for the police, then why was she also working with Crane?

"Yes." She nodded. "But I did have some help. Harley was instrumental with the planning."

"Ah yes, Harley." He rolled his eyes. "So the police didn't mind you breaking Crane out of Arkham?"

She could see that the wheels were turning in his head and that he was starting to have questions. "Well, you see that's the thing." She moved in closer and kneeled down in front of him. "I never actually worked for the police and neither did Harley."

"What do you mean?" He asked in a dangerously low tone of voice that he only used when extremely mad.

She smiled. "I mean, I have been working with Vincent Maroni—not the police."

He couldn't believe it! Lacy had been working with that piece of trash mob guy? And she never worked with the police? She made a complete fool out of him.

She could see that things were starting to make sense in his mind. "Oh, and darling, I'm afraid that Harley never worked with the police either. She wasn't a police informant and she didn't even know who I really was."

"But the police records…" He pointed out.

"Yeah, about those." She laughed softly. "That was all fabricated to make you suspect her. In reality, she was just a very naïve, trusting girl who only wanted to make you happy. And how did you repay her?"

She shook her head disapprovingly. "You didn't trust her enough to believe her and then had her killed. I hope you're happy with yourself because you killed the only person on this planet who even remotely cared about you."

He growled and began tugging at the ropes that held him to the chair, only to find that he was bound tighter than he originally thought. "These ropes won't hold me forever."

"They don't have to." She replied with a shrug.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" He asked.

"Honey, I don't think I'm clever. I know I am." She smiled.


	38. Chapter 38

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Ok, so here's the deal. I've spent the past week or so trying to get my computer cleaned up after a near-fatal virus attacked it. Good news is that it's now healthy again. Bad news is that I lost the rest of this story. Hence, I've been having to go back and re-write it from memory--which is challenging since I have a horrible memory! My goal is to get this story done by Christmas, and I feel optimistic about it. So I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out to you and hope you enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The Joker had stopped thrashing around in his chair but was still trying to subtly break free from the ropes. He was also trying to make sense of what Lacy had told him. She had manipulated him into killing Harley for no good reason. Harley wasn't the traitor he thought she was. That angered him on many levels.

True, he didn't love Harley. But he liked having her around most of the time. She was a lot more fun than Lacy and he was looking forward to having someone around who didn't disapprove of everything he did.

His anger was rising to dangerous levels as he realized that he had been manipulated by Lacy. That wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be the one who manipulated her. Not the other way around!

He resigned himself to the fact that she may have control over him right now, but he would get the control back and then….then she would pay dearly for her actions.

Lacy moved a chair over to where the Joker was seated and placed it in front of him before sitting down. He had been silent for a few minutes and she could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to process everything. But she could see that he still had questions. "I think it's time to explain everything. Now bear with me, it's a long story. Let's start at the beginning."

"Does this story include a 'once upon a time' beginning and a 'happily ever after' ending?" He asked with a chuckle.

"No, afraid not." Lacy laughed. "That's reserved for fairytales and this story is based entirely in reality."

"Darn." He rolled his eyes. "I was hoping for a nice bedtime story."

She ignored his comment and started explaining everything. "I've been planning for this moment for almost two years. After you pushed that car into the water to try to kill me Bruce saved my life. Then he somehow got the police to fake my death and I went into hiding."

"Of course Bruce saved you." He rolled his eyes. "He hasn't met a damsel in distress that he hasn't tried to save."

"He wanted me to stay hidden forever to "protect" myself from you." She shook her head. "But I had other plans. I started thinking about everything you've done to me, Bruce, the city of Gotham, and other places of the country. I made a list of the crimes you've committed and was saddened when I filled a whole notebook and wasn't done."

He smiled proudly. "I have committed a lot of crimes."

"I got thinking about how you needed to be stopped from committing any more crimes and what it would take to get you to stop." She paused for a moment. "Finally I realized the only way to truly get you to stop would be to kill you. Incarcerating you in a prison or an asylum like Arkham wouldn't work long-term because you would just find a way to break free."

"True." He nodded.

"So I started planning." She continued. "I went through several plans of how to kill you. Some were absolutely terrible and some just weren't very realistic. None of them felt like they were fitting for someone of your…stature. It took me awhile but I finally remembered something you had told me quite a few times."

"And what would that be?" He chuckled.

"Sometimes the actual crime is not enough to get the right amount of satisfaction. Sometimes you have to strip the person of everything they hold dear first before you can really enjoy what you're going to do to them." She recited. "Then by that time they will be susceptible to your traps and it will hurt ten times worse."

"Ah," he nodded. "So you were actually listening to me when I talked to you."

"I heard every word you told me." She replied. "And it got me thinking about what you hold dear."

"I don't hold anything dear." He told her. "You should know that."

"See that's where you're wrong." She shook her head. "It's true that you don't hold the traditional things dear like family and friends. Instead, you hold things like power, control, and manipulation dear. And armed with that knowledge I formed an even stronger, more formidable plan."

He pretended to yawn. "Can we get on with this explanation? It's boring and I'm starting to fall asleep here."

"Of course. I wouldn't want you to fall asleep before the fun starts." She grinned. "When I heard you had escaped from Arkham I boarded the first plane back to Gotham, ready to get started. But first I visited Bruce at his penthouse. You know, it's a shame your shooter that night didn't shoot me instead. You might have saved yourself from this fate."

"So it was you on the balcony that night." He commented.

"Yep. Only then I had dyed my hair black." She explained.

"Well the shooting still turned out ok given the fact that dear old Brucey can't feel his legs. I suppose it will be awhile before he's able to try and fight crime again." He laughed.

She didn't say anything, not wanting to let on that Bruce's condition had gotten better. It wasn't something he needed to know. "I had my plans already set but things changed after you shot Bruce. I had a chance encounter with Harley. I saw firsthand just how much she loved you. It was pathetic and I realized that she would be a powerful ally. She didn't have any clue about who I was because I was using the name Angela Vandelay."

"The same name you made me believe was Harley's." The Joker commented, getting angrier and angrier as he continued to listen to her story.

"Exactly." She smirked.

"Anyway, I went to Vincent Maroni and struck a deal with him. After all, I needed some major help if I was going to succeed in making you suffer."

"But what could you have to offer Maroni in exchange for his help?" The Joker wondered out-loud. Then it occurred to him. "Ah, so that's it. You whored yourself out."

"I made the necessary deal to ensure my success." She corrected him.

"So how is he in bed?" The Joker asked condescendingly. "Is he as good as I am? He's got to be better than Bruce."

"We're not going to discuss this." She told him sternly.

"But I think I have a right to know, seeing as how I am still your husband." He pointed out.

She sighed. "So then I had Vincent Maroni and his organization backing me and I also had Harley in my corner but that wasn't enough. So I enlisted the help of someone else in your group." Since she was going to kill him soon, she didn't see any reason why he couldn't be told of the other traitor. "Dale was instrumental in my plans."

He laughed. "Figures he would be the one to sell me out."

"He was very helpful, letting me know of all your plans before they happened so that I could in turn tell the police." She smiled.

"You know, I don't really appreciate that." He told her. "I worked hard to organize all those outings and it wasn't fair that you ruined all of them."

"Well that's too bad for you." She laughed. "But I've had to deal with you doing things I didn't appreciate so get over it."

He rolled his eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have been so lenient towards Dale. I should have left him there with Chip to burn. But no…I had to be gracious and kind for once. Never make that mistake again, I'll tell you that."

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "So there's something I'm wondering. Why break Crane out of Arkham? What use was he to you?"

"Crane served two purposes." She replied. "The first was to distract you and cause more problems for you."

"And the second?" He wondered.

"He was the one that filled the canisters with the gas that made everyone pass out." She told him.

"Ah yes." He nodded. "The warehouse incident. What was the deal with that? Why set something like that up?"

"Again, for several reasons." She explained. "It was part of my plan to make the city stop fearing you. I knew that preventing your minor crimes and spreading editorials in the local papers wouldn't be enough to qualm the fears of everyone. So I orchestrated the warehouse incident knowing that you would be the one blamed for its failure."

She paused before continuing. "It also was a way for you to doubt Harley and it provided me with an opportunity to get close enough to you so that I could slip that stuff into your pocket without you knowing."

"I think you enjoyed that dance and those kisses we shared." He winked at her.

"As if." She rolled her eyes. "I only did it because I wanted to leave you clues about my reappearance."

"And you missed me." He grinned.

"You're delusional." She chuckled.

"Just admit it." He cajoled. "You missed me and you just had to see me with your own eyes. Then when you did see me you couldn't resist my charms."

"I already told you. I only did it to..."

"I know, I know." He interrupted. "You keep giving me a bland reason why you did it but it doesn't make much sense. You could have had Dale deliver the stuff or you could have slipped it into my pocket without kissing me. But you didn't because you still want me."

"Why would I still want you?" She asked, getting up from her chair and pacing around a few times. "I would have to be crazier than you to still want you after everything that has happened between us." She shook her head. "No. There's no way I still want you."

She hated to admit it, but she had enjoyed the dance and the kiss that night. Her mind told her it was wrong and not to enjoy it, but her body seemed to have a mind of its own. But even though she had enjoyed it, it wouldn't happen again. She wasn't going to let him sucker her into his charm.

He noticed that she had begun pacing around and grinned at the knowledge that he was getting to her. He must have struck a chord with his previous statements. "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

"Oh shut up!" She told him, standing in one place and staring at him. "I didn't ask for your opinion and I don't want it either."

"Fine." He pretended to pout. "I know the truth as well as you do and it doesn't matter if you can't admit it yet." When he broke out of these ropes he would make sure that she admitted it before he killed her.

As angry as he was with her for everything that she had been doing lately, he couldn't help but be amused and slightly proud. He never thought that she had it in her to do some of these things, like going in with the mob and plotting someone's death.

That's when it hit him and he smiled as he realized that he had just won. She may be winning this battle but he has won the war. He has managed to turn her from a law-abiding citizen into a criminal like him. He never thought it would happen but he finally managed to corrupt her fully. She was no better than him now.

"What are you grinning about?" She asked, wondering what he had to be happy about. He was tied up to a chair and was going to die tonight. But it shouldn't surprise her that he had found something to grin about.

"Oh nothing." He chuckled. "I'll tell you later."

"Why don't you tell me now?" She asked. "You won't be around later."

He grinned even more. "You really think that you'll be able to kill me? Do you not know who I am?"

She closed the space between them and kneeled down to his level so that their faces were inches apart. "Oh trust me. I know exactly who you are."

Both of them turned their attention to the person behind Lacy when they heard a loud cough.

"Bruce?" Lacy questioned, releasing a deep sigh. This was not what she needed right now.


	39. Chapter 39

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Congrats on the speedy recovery." The Joker called out to Bruce. "Wish I could say I'm happy about it, but we both know it would be a lie."

Bruce ignored the Joker and stared at Lacy. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The Joker laughed. "She's feebly attempting to kill me! But she won't be able to do it. She loves me way too much to cause me harm."

"Shut up." She commanded, looking back at him before turning her attention to Bruce. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help you and keep you from making a big mistake." Bruce told her; surprised that she wasn't more shocked to see him up walking around.

She sighed and motioned towards the door to the right. "Let's talk in there." She watched him head towards the room before turning back to the Joker. "You stay right there. I'll be right back."

"Where would I go?" He joked as he watched her leave the room. Once she was gone, he continued working to free himself from the ropes.

"You shouldn't have come here." She told Bruce once she closed the door.

"What was I supposed to do?" He questioned. "Stay at home and wait around while you got in over your head here?"

"Excuse me but does it look like I'm in over my head here?" She argued loudly. "I'm in complete control of this situation."

"For now." He said. "But how long do you really think you can keep him tied up like that before he figures out how to get himself loose?"

"Well thanks again the vote of confidence." She rolled her eyes. "You never fail to inspire."

"I'm sorry." He apologized, meaning it. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I think you should leave." She told him. She wasn't really angry with him; she just wanted him to leave so that she could get on with the last part of her plan. There was no way that she was going to execute the last phase of her plan with him here.

"Aren't you even the least bit surprised that I'm here and walking around?" He questioned with a chuckle.

"No." She shook her head. "I knew that you would get back your mobility and I saw it on the monitors earlier today before I showed up in your apartment. It is really good to see you back on your feet, though I'm surprised that Alfred let you leave the apartment."

"Alfred wouldn't let me come alone." Bruce told her. "He's out in the tumbler right now."

She nodded, glad to have that piece of information. "Look, Bruce, please leave? It's not safe for you to be here. You haven't gotten all your strength back and I don't think that you should be up on your feet this much. It's too much too soon. You need to go back to the penthouse and rest. I have everything covered here."

"I can't leave you here with him like this." He protested. "He'll kill you the first chance he gets."

"He's not going to get a chance." She told him.

"Please don't go through with whatever your plan is to kill him." He pleaded. "Let me get the police here or something. Let them take care of this."

"Like they took care of it last time?" She laughed. "You and I both know that he will never stay in jail or Arkham for very long. He'll always find a way out. The only way to stop him is kill him. Now you won't do that and I understand why. But I can and I will. I just need you to leave first."

"I won't." He told her. "If you're committed to following through on your plan, then you'll have to do it with me by your side." He had a gut feeling that whatever she had planned had the potential to kill her as well and hoped that if he threatened to stay with her she would abandon those plans.

She knew that he couldn't stay with her and she had to find a way to get him to leave. "You can't stay here."

"Why not?" He asked. "Give me one good reason why I can't stay."

"Because this is something personal that I have to do by myself." She reasoned. "There are things I need to say to him that I don't want anyone else to hear—not even you."

"I'll hum loudly and cover my ears while you talk." He rationalized.

She smiled. "That won't work and you know it."

"Please don't do this—whatever this is. It's a mistake." He wanted to make her see that while killing him would feel good at the time, it wouldn't be the right thing for her to do.

"I have to." She closed the space between them and gave him a hug. "Please forgive me for this."

"For what?" He asked in confusion before feeling a slight prick on his left arm. He looked over and saw that she had injected him with something. Everything in the room started to become blurry and he felt himself getting weaker. "What did you just do to me?"

"I'm sorry." She apologized, helping him get over to a nearby chair. She barely got him into the chair before he passed out. The last thing she had wanted to do was inject him with the same stuff she had injected the Joker with earlier but she felt like she had no other choice.

He wouldn't have left on his own accord and she had to make him go. Besides, he would wake up in a few hours and be fine. By then she will have executed her plan. Now she just had to get Alfred in here to help her carry Bruce back to the tumbler.

* * *

"How many do we have in lock-up now?" Gordon asked Locke, looking at the cells that were full of the Joker's henchmen. Someone had dropped them off in front of the station, all tied together with a huge bow that said 'Merry Christmas'.

"The total is twenty-eight." Locke replied. "Who do you think did this? Batman?"

"I don't know." Gordon replied. "Batman usually doesn't leave notes like that."

"So it's possible that someone other than Batman has been taking on the role of vigilante and helping to fight crime." Locke theorized.

"It's possible." Gordon nodded. "The person who delivered these guys to us may be the same person who has been giving us the leads on what the Joker has planned."

"Should we question these guys? See if they know anything?" Locke asked.

"Yeah, we probably should question them." Gordon replied. "But I doubt that we will get any straight answers from them."

* * *

Lacy watched as Alfred carried Bruce out of the warehouse. He had refused her help, instead telling her to stay here and keep watch over the Joker. He had also tried to get her to stop what she was doing but, unlike Bruce, respected her decision and let it drop.

When Alfred and Bruce had disappeared from her view, she turned back to the Joker, who was watching her intently.

"So, you drugged your lover boy too?" He chuckled. "You gonna send him to a different warehouse where he'll be tied to a chair or am I the only one who gets that special treatment?"

She ignored him, instead going over to the corner of the room and dragging a large box over towards him. She was careful not to step on or disconnect the wire that was coming out of the box. Once the box was in the right position she put her hand inside her pocket to make sure she had the detonator.

"What's in the box?" He questioned.

"That's for me to know and you to find out when I want you to know." She replied.

While she had been busy talking with Bruce and then with Alfred getting Bruce out, he had been busy manipulating the ropes that bound him. It took some time and great effort but he had finally broken free. For now though, he decided to pretend that he was still bound up. He would wait for the right time to surprise her with that information.

"So there's still one more thing I don't understand about your grand scheme." He commented.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Why set up Harley?" He asked. "Why bother with her at all? I mean, it's me you have the problem with so why set her up? You must have known that if I thought she was a traitor I wouldn't hesitate to kill her. So why go to all the trouble of setting her up and messing with the police records? Were you really that jealous?"

She couldn't help herself and laughed hysterically. "I am not jealous." She told him as she approached him and kneeled down to his level again. "And the reason I set up Harley is simple. She was just one more thing that you needed to be stripped of."

"You see," she continued, "I had already stripped you of everything else that you held precious in this world. I took away your power and control by preventing you from actually committing any crimes. So the only thing worth taking away from you was your power to manipulate."

"I know you, a little too well for my liking, but I still know how your mind operates." She gloated. "Harley was your second chance. She was your opportunity to mold her into everything you wanted me to be."

"A long time ago you wanted me to be your partner in crime, the Bonnie to your Clyde. And it hurt you to know that I would never do it. But then you met Harley and you got her to fall head over heels in love with you to the point where she would do anything for you. And you started to think that you can shape her into being the kind of woman that you want. Am I right?"

He grinned. "You really do know me well. It's almost scary."

"So setting up Harley and getting rid of her was the final piece of my puzzle. I had to do that in order to complete my mission of taking away everything you hold dear." She explained.

He stared at her and continued to smile. "I have to hand it to you. You had a good plan. You covered all your bases really well and it was a very well thought-out plan. There's just one thing wrong with it."

She laughed. "And what's that?"

"You forgot who you're dealing with." He told her before lunging at her. Within seconds he had her pinned to the ground, straddling her waist and holding her down by her neck. He wasn't strangling her, yet, but maintained enough pressure on her throat to keep her down. "You see, there aren't enough ropes in the world to keep me down forever. You should have known that."

She knew she was in trouble now. She tried to get him off of her but found that it was easier said than done. He had her pinned to the ground very effectively and after a few moments she stopped struggling.

"Good girl." He praised as she stopped struggling against him. Although her fighting had turned him on, it was good that she realized resistance was futile. "I think I've played along with you and listened to your story very patiently. So now you are going to listen to my story and play along with me."

"If you're going to kill me, just kill me." She dared him, wondering if she could reach the detonator and activate it before he had a chance to stop her.

"Oh I will kill you!" He laughed. "But not before we have a little chat and maybe a little fun." With his free hand, he traced a path down her chest, coping a feel of her breasts before pulling up her shirt to reveal her stomach. "You know, I think this was one of my best works of art. And look at how nicely it has healed. I wonder if it's going to be more painful than the first time when I re-open these wounds."

"You won't get a chance to." She spat out angrily, reaching into her pocket. She had a grasp on the detonator and was about to press it when he pulled her hand out of her jacket and slapped her hard across the face.

"What do we have here?" He asked, digging around her pocket and bringing out the detonator. "Well, well, well. Looks like you have some explaining to do."


	40. Chapter 40

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Hey all! I am so sorry to have been away for so long. Please don't be mad! Turns out my earlier virus scare on my laptop wasn't as completely fixed as I originally thought. It killed the whole thing and I had to wait a few weeks until I could afford to replace it. But I am back. There is only one more chapter left in this story and then it will be finished. Enjoy!

Chapter Forty

"Yes, you definitely have some explaining to do sweetheart." He grinned, holding up the detonator and staring at it. "You weren't trying to blow us up, were you?"

"Maybe." She answered, knowing he already knew the answer.

"So that was your plan?" He laughed, carefully placing the detonator in his jacket pocket. "You were going to blow us both up? Don't you think that's a little too 'Romeo and Juliet'?"

"We are nothing like Romeo and Juliet." She spat out angrily.

"I disagree." He informed her. "But I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I am intrigued to know that you were planning on killing me at the expense of your own life. It's an interesting development."

"I'd do anything to rid the world of you." She confirmed.

"Even at the expense of your life." He repeated.

She laughed. "It's not like my life is that great to begin with. You've worked hard to ruin any chance I have of a normal, happy life."

"That's true." He smiled, proud of his hard work. "Still, your plan says a lot about the type of person you've become because of me."

"How so?" She asked hesitantly.

"You've been making deals with mob bosses, manipulating people, sending quasi-innocent people to their deaths, and then there is your plan to kill us both." He smirked. "Seems like I have had more of an effect on you than you care to admit."

"I'm just doing all of this stuff to get rid of you. That's all." She explained, knowing where he was going with his observations.

"That may be the truth, but the fact remains that you have finally been corrupted. I have finally managed to get you to sink to my level. It took you long enough, but here you are!"

His laughter echoed through the empty warehouse and she wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face; however, he was still holding her down and that wasn't possible. "You're wrong. I'm nothing like you!"

"You can deny it all you want, my dear, but the evidence speaks for itself. You didn't go to your good friend Batman when you decided to bring me down." He shook his head. "No, instead you went to another criminal. You went to the mob for the help, knowing they wouldn't be as driven by high and mighty morals like Bruce. You knew exactly what you were doing when you went to the mob and what kind of techniques they would employ."

"Everything you've done recently has been stuff that I would have done—except I would have gone ahead and killed everyone in the warehouse instead of just knocking them out. But that's just more my style."

"The only reason I had to use your tactics was because that's the only way to stop you." She explained.

"Doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things." He pointed out as he sighed. "It's just a shame that you finally turn out the way I want you to and I have to kill you. But, you see, I can't have you running around Gotham trying to kill me. I already get that from Bruce and the police. I don't need another wacko on my case."

"Even if you do kill me, someone else will stop you. I guarantee it." She told him.

"Perhaps." He nodded in agreement. "I mean, I can't keep doing this forever. Eventually I will die, but it will be on my own terms—not yours, Batman's or the police's."

She had to concentrate. There had to be a way out of this. She thought for a moment and remembered the detonation device wasn't that far away. He had only placed it in his jacket pocket. It would be difficult to get, but not impossible. She could still get to it and set off the explosives. She just had to be patient and wait for her chance.

"So," he continued, getting up and pulling her along. He grabbed her and put one arm around her waist with the other arm wrapped around her neck. "You thought that you could blow us both up? With this?" He laughed and kicked the box. "No offense honey, but a box of this size wouldn't have killed us. Stunned us, yes. Burned us a little, yes. But killed us? No."

She kept her mouth shut, not wanting to tell him that although there were explosives in that box, there were also other explosives hidden in all of the walls of the warehouse. All in all, there was enough explosive potential to completely demolish this whole warehouse. But she kept that fact to herself and allowed him to think that she was dumb.

"I wish I didn't have to kill you." He sighed, moving her cheek to the side so that he could kiss her on the lips. "You would be so much fun now that you've chosen to embark on a path to the dark side. Imagine all the fun we could have destroying the city."

"I would never help you with that." She told him empathically.

"I know." He sighed again. "That's why I have to kill you. Though it doesn't mean we can't have one last screw for old times sake." He kissed her again and turned her body around to face his. He moved his hands around her body, finally settling one hand on the back of her neck and the other one on her ass.

She thought about her situation and realized that if she was going to make a move then now would be the time to do it. Carefully, so that he didn't realize what she was doing, she reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the detonator. Luckily he was so enthralled with what he was doing that he didn't notice her machinations. She took a deep breath before raising up her knee and making contact with his genitals.

"Ouch!" He screamed out, releasing the grip he had on her for a moment. "You bitch! What was that for?"

"Oh where do I begin?" She laughed sardonically. She had used the temporary distraction to get away from him and was now standing a few feet away from him with the detonator in her hand.

She waited for him to stop doubling over in pain before saying anything else. She just held the detonator in her hands tightly, unwilling to let him get control of it again.

After a few moments he regained his composure and looked up at her with anger and a little bit of shock in his eyes. He hated that she had gotten away from him and regained control of the detonator, but was also shocked that she was still here and hadn't run away. She could have easily used this time to run away from the warehouse and then detonated the explosives.

The fact that she didn't intrigued him. "Why didn't you run away? You could save yourself."

"Maybe I don't want to be saved." She replied quietly.

He chuckled. "So Lacy does have a death wish."

"I just want to stop all of the pain and guilt." She explained. "And this seems like a good way to do it because I can help myself and get rid of you at the same time."

"You'll never push that button." He told her.

"You know, I really loved the man you used to be. But you broke my heart when you decided to turn into the monster you are today."

"Blah, blah blah." He rolled his eyes. "Look, why don't you just hand the detonator over to me now and we can save some time. Because we both know you won't be able to push that button. You're not that strong."

"See, that's where you're wrong." She told him, backing up a few feet away from him. "You've never thought that I was strong or capable of anything. But look at everything I've managed to accomplish. Looks like your death won't be on your own terms after all."

"Any last words before you die?" She asked with a smile on her face.

He just laughed and said, "You'll never do it."

She took a deep breath and pushed down on the detonator.

There were bright flashes of reds, oranges and yellows before everything went black.


	41. Chapter 41

Title: Control

Fandom: The Dark Knight

Rating: M

Pairing: OC/Joker/Harley

Genre: Drama/Angst

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.

A/N: Ok. Here we are. The final chapter of this story. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Forty-One

"Sir, perhaps you should stop watching that." Alfred suggested as he brought a tray of coffee over to the chair that Bruce was sitting in. It had been two days since the explosion at the warehouse and Bruce was still glued to his chair watching the footage from GCN.

GCN had sent camera crews to the scene. The fire caused by the explosion lasted for several hours before the firemen could finally put it out. Bruce had woken up from the sedative Lacy had injected him with right after the blaze was starting to be contained.

It took over a half hour of arguing to convince Bruce to stay put in the penthouse and not go down there. It would have raised questions—questions that Bruce wouldn't have been in any state to answer properly. He thought back to when Bruce woke up and he had to explain what had happened.

"_Well, good to see you're back." Alfred told Bruce as he woke up. _

"_What happened?" Bruce asked, looking around and seeing that he was back in the penthouse. _

"_What's the last thing you remember?" Alfred asked, wondering how much information he would have to remind Bruce about. _

"_The last thing I remember was being in the warehouse with Lacy." Bruce replied, deep in thought. "Then she stabbed me with something." _

"_A sedative." Alfred nodded. _

"_I have to get back there. I have to make sure she's alright." Bruce insisted as he pulled back the covers on the bed and started to get up, only to get lightly pushed back down by Alfred. _

"_I'm afraid I can't let you go back there." Alfred replied. _

"_Why not?" Bruce questioned, getting a bad feeling about this. "What happened?" _

_Alfred was silent for a moment, wondering how to tell Bruce what happened. "I think perhaps pictures are more telling than words." He grabbed the remote and turned the television on to GCN. They were showing the warehouse explosion and Mike Engle was reporting live from the scene. _

"_As you can see, the firefighters have only recently started to gain a handle on this blaze. There is no word yet on what caused this explosion and there are reports coming in that although it was an abandoned warehouse, there could have been some people inside at the time of the blast. But that it just preliminary information that is coming in and we won't be able to know more until much later."_

_Bruce sat frozen as horrific images of the burning building filled the screen. "She wasn't there though, right?" He asked Alfred, not turning his gaze from the screen. _

"_I don't know sir." Alfred shook his head. "She hasn't made contact yet." _

"_She couldn't have been in there at the time of the explosion." He shook his head in disbelief. "It's just not possible. She wouldn't have done that. Right?" _

"_It's hard to say." Alfred replied._

"_I have to go down there and…" _

"_And what?" Alfred interrupted. "What would you be able to do?" _

"_I don't know but I can't just sit around here and wait." Bruce argued. _

"_If you go down there you will be attracting attention and questions will come up as to why you are taking such a vested interest in it. I don't think it's a good idea. We need to wait here and see what happens." _

They hadn't received any contact from Lacy in the past two days and Alfred realized they weren't going to hear from her. There weren't any women admitted into nearby hospitals matching her description either.

He had come to terms with the realization that she was dead and not coming back. Last night he had finally gotten up the courage to read the note she had left for him and things made sense now. He thought back on the note.

_Dear Alfred, _

_I don't think words could ever fully do you justice. You have been so generous and caring towards me, even though I don't fully deserve it. I will treasure your friendship always but unfortunately the time has come for me to meet my destiny. _

_I've set up a final confrontation with the Joker. Someone needs to stop him once and for all, and I know that I have to try and be that person. He's taken so much from me, you, Bruce and so many other people. The time has come for his reign of terror to be over. _

_I realized a long time ago that in order to stop him I would have to resort to non-traditional tactics. Prison and mental institutions aren't sufficient to hold him. The only way to effectively silence him is by death. And the only way to ensure his death is to see it with my own eyes. _

_I only pray that you try to understand why I am doing this and that you look after Bruce as you have done for so many years. _

_Thank you for being a friend,_

_Lacy_

After reading her note it became clear that she must have set off the explosives herself. That's why she didn't want Bruce there that night and why she wrote them both a note. They were goodbye letters because she knew she was going to die.

"Sir, you really should stop watching that." Alfred repeated.

"I can't." Bruce shook his head. "I keep thinking that if I stare at it long enough and from different angles, maybe I can see some kind of sign that she wasn't in there."

Alfred knew he wasn't going to win so instead of arguing he handed Bruce the letter Lacy left for him. "I think you should read this."

Bruce took the note and saw Lacy's handwriting. "Did she just leave this?" He started to get excited at the prospect of Lacy being alive.

"I'm afraid not." Alfred replied sadly. "She gave this to me a few days ago right before she went to meet the Joker."

"Oh." All of his hopes were deflated. If she left him a note then she knew she wasn't coming back. He was right when he guessed that she would try to kill the Joker at the expense of her own life. He grabbed a hold of the note and slowly walked out to the balcony for some privacy.

It was early morning and the sun was just barely over the horizon. The city was quiet and peaceful. He stood, leaning up against the railing as he opened the letter.

_Bruce,_

_This is a very difficult letter to write and I'm sorry that I have to write it. But if you are reading this then I am gone. Hopefully I have taken the Joker with me though. _

_Words can never explain just how sorry I am for unleashing the Joker upon you and Gotham. If I hadn't moved here trying to get away from him, then things would be dramatically different. We might not have even met, which would have been sad for me because you are an amazing man but better for you. _

_There are so many things I am sorry about, so many crimes the Joker has committed that I wish I could erase. But that is impossible. I can't change the past. The only thing I can change is the future and that's what I have been trying to do. _

_I know you wanted me to stay far away from Gotham and were unhappy when I came back. What I don't think you fully understood though was that I couldn't have stayed away. He would have always been dancing around in my head, tormenting and taunting me. _

_I had to come back to get peace and to try and purge him from the world once and for all. Like I said earlier, I hope I have accomplished my goal and he is dead too. If not, I am sorry for that too and you can add it to the long list of my apologies. _

_Please don't be too mad at me for the way I have handled this. I only did what I thought was best for everyone. I know that you would have never been able to kill the Joker and I understand why. Batman needs to have morality and Gotham is lucky to have someone like you so dedicated to being a respectable hero. _

_I, on the other hand, serve no purpose in this world. I'm not saying that to garner sympathy. It's just the truth. My identity is gone and to be completely honest, the only thing I am good for now is trying to stop the Joker. _

_You and Alfred are the only ones in this world who will grieve me and I'm ok with that. I'm finally going to be at peace and not worrying about everything. I just hope that you are able continue on with the good work that you do. (And maybe give Alfred a day off every once and awhile! You know he deserves it!)_

_Lacy_

He crumpled up the note, so angry with her that he wanted to punch the wall to let out his frustrations. But he didn't because that wouldn't solve anything. He didn't want to believe that she was gone and that she had died in the explosion. But there was no evidence to prove that she had gotten out alive.

There was evidence that she had been trapped in there though. The police hadn't released any specific details but it had leaked out to the press that they had found two bodies in the rubble of the warehouse—one male and one female.

It was fairly safe to assume that one of those bodies belonged to the Joker. No one had seen or heard from him since that night and most of his henchmen had been arrested when the police raided all of the Joker's safe houses. Although the DNA tests on the bodies would take some time to come back from the lab, he felt confident believing that the Joker was dead.

The bad side to his confidence about the Joker's death meant that he had to be that confident about Lacy's death. He didn't want her to be dead. But it would take a miracle for her to still be alive.

"Goodbye Lacy." He whispered softly. He looked at the crumpled note in his hand and took it over to the nearby table. He laid it on the flat surface and started smoothing it out, hoping to get the wrinkles out.

After doing his best to smooth out the wrinkles, he held the note in his hands and stared at it. "I'll miss you."

* * *

The room was small. The white paint on the walls gave the room a cold, impersonal feeling. Machines beeped and flashed important information on their screens. On one side of the room there were balcony doors, which were left wide open to let in the Caribbean breeze from the ocean.

Two nurses came into the room to check on the patients' vital signs. The patient had been in their care for a couple of days now and they were amazed by the progress that had been made. They never thought the patient would make it through the surgery but fortunately they had been proved wrong.

"Dr. Bombay did a wonderful job." The first nurse commented.

"I agree." The second nurse replied, writing down the last of the vital signs. "Come on, let's go get some lemonade. I need something to cool me off. It's such a hot day."

"Ok." The first nurse nodded, giving one more look to the patient before following her co-worker out of the room.

As soon as the nurses left the room, the patient opened their eyes, examining their surroundings.

END

A/N: A special thank you to Asian_Psycho, .fire333, Straight Edge Queen, herve, Purgatory Nymphe, lilac17, Lady Slone, ColorblindPony, Yannina, bellablue, sapphobrazil, hayly baby, xAvaAdorex, ladylexi123, jn, WarningSign, JeZZa-8-D, ALMI789, David Fishwick, Lily Marin, Jokerfan, and xxFEATHERSxx for your wonderful reviews! And thanks also to everyone else who has been reading and following this story, as well as 'I Love You...I'll Kill You.

I have toyed around with the idea of making these stories into a three-story saga but I'm not sure about it yet. A part of me likes the idea of leaving the conclusion of this story so open-ended but there's also a neurotic voice inside my head telling me I have to keep going. If you have an opinion about it please let me know!

Lastly, I have compiled a playlist for this story similiar to the one for 'I Love You...I'll Kill You'. The link is in my profile if you want to check it out! Thanks!


End file.
